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Introduction: This article addresses the complex dynamics of sexual consent among female Spanish university student. The research is based on two independent studies, each employing a distinct methodology: study 1 (n = 308) employs a quantitative approach to analyze the relationship between the endorsement of heterosexual scripts, individual variables (sexual satisfaction, sexual assertiveness, and sexual communication styles), and intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) and the reasons for consenting to unwanted sex; study 2 utilized qualitative methods to explore personal narratives and deepen the understanding of consent as experienced and articulated by 8 women. Objectives: Study1 aimed at quantitatively assessing how the endorsement of heterosexual scripts, individual variables, and previous IPSV experiences impact the reasons for consenting to unwanted sex. Study 2 sought to compliment Study 1’s findings and qualitatively investigate the personal and societal narratives that shape the understanding and communication of sexual consent. Results: In Study 1, the findings reveal that endorsements of traditional sexual scripts and histories of IPSV are associated with a higher likelihood of consenting to unwanted sex, while greater sexual satisfaction and assertiveness correlate with reduced consent to unwanted sex. Study 2 provides a thematic exploration of sexual consent, identifying key themes in how consent is negotiated, perceived, and misunderstood within interpersonal and cultural contexts. Conclusions: The combined results of these studies illustrate the nuanced interplay between individual agency, cultural expectations, and past experiences in shaping sexual consent. Underscoring the importance of challenging traditional sexual scripts and enhancing assertiveness, this research contributes to ongoing efforts to foster a consent culture that respects individual boundaries and desires in sexual relationships.

IntroductionGender role stress emerges as a concept to try to explain the health difficulties presented by men and women due to gender socialization. Thus, gender role stress arises when individuals feel stressed due to their perceived inability to fulfill the demands of their gender role, or when they believe that a particular situation necessitates behavior traditionally attributed to the opposite gender. To evaluate the presence of gender role stress in individuals, two scales were developed: the masculine gender role stress scale and the feminine gender role scale.ObjectiveTo identify the main thematic areas studied in the behavioral sciences with the feminine gender role stress scale (FGRSS) and the masculine gender role stress scale (MGRSS) as main variables, specifically examining their contributions to the understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of individuals who are affected by gender role stress. We also aimed to analyze the difference, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in terms of scientific literature produced between the scales.MethodWe followed the preferred items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A scoping review of the literature was conducted using systematic techniques, resulting in the inclusion of 87 articles utilizing either of the two scales.Results80% (n = 72) of the articles employed the MGRSS, while 20% (n = 18) utilized the FGRSS. The MGRSS articles were also the most frequently cited in the literature. The FGRSS has been predominantly used to examine the implications for women’s well-being, whereas the MGRSS has primarily been employed to predict disruptive behaviors in men.ConclusionThis scoping review highlights disparities in the scientific literature concerning the examination of feminine and masculine gender role stress and its consequences for people. Specifically, it points out the limited investigation into feminine gender role stress and its ramifications compared to masculine gender role stress. These findings indicates the lack of a gender perspective even in research intended to study it, and outline the importance of more research with a gender perspective where women are the aim of study.

The nature of social networking sites and the overconfidence and lack of awareness that characterize the adolescent stage favor the assumption of risk behaviors on Instagram (e.g., self-objectified photos, that is, photos showing sexualized body parts such as skin cleavage or the abdomen). Two experimental studies examine the social perceptions of adolescents regarding the risk of suffering from cyberbullying behaviors by posting selfies on Instagram. Study 1 (N = 373 adolescents) revealed that participants perceived more risk when an individual uploaded an objectified selfie (vs. a non-objectified). Participants perceived that the target will be more likely to suffer from cyberbullying behaviors when they: (a) uploaded on Instagram an objectified selfie (vs. a non-objectified) and (b) were female (vs. male). Study 2 (N = 210 adolescents) showed that when a girl (vs. a boy) uploaded an objectified selfie, participants perceived more risk in her behavior and perceived that she would be more likely to suffer from cyberbullying behaviors. Specifically, female adolescents (vs. males) perceived that a girl (vs. a boy) would be a target of cyberbullying behaviors to a greater extent. Finally, participants perceived that uploading an objectified photo was more risky when the target was a girl (vs. a boy), which led to suffering from cyberbullying behaviors to a greater extent. These results can help to further understand the risk to which adolescents are exposed on Instagram, being higher among adolescent girls. Therefore, this work highlights the importance of considering gender differences in the design of cyberbullying prevention programs.

Intimate partner sexual violence has countless consequences for women suffering it. This research analyse the effect of the type of sexual coercion tactic and partner dependence on both the attribution of responsibility and the probability of leaving a relationship. In Study 1, six scenarios for different sexual tactics were presented (coaxing, coercion, and aggression) to 5 experts in order to select those with better evidence of content validity regarding the construct evaluated. In Study 2, the three selected scenarios were presented to 304 Spanish participants from the general population, analysing the effect of the type of tactic and dependence on attributed responsibility and the probability of leaving a relationship. Results showed that in the sexual aggression scenario, participants assigned the highest responsibility to the aggressorand showed the strongest likelihood of leaving the relationship. Further, results revealed that in the coaxing scenario, dependence had an indirect effect on the probability of leaving the relationship through a lower responsibility attributed to the aggressor. As a conclusion, this study emphasises the importance of the sexual tactic used by aggressors in individuals’ perception about sexual coercion, contributing to increasing the visibility of this unacceptable action, especially in its more subtle and normalised form.

Young people have incorporated information and communication technology (ICT) and its influence on socialization as a new instrument to exercise controlling behaviors in their relationships. The present research aims to analyse the influence of some variables that affect social perception of those controlling behaviors, such as the adopted role on the scene (i.e., protagonist vs. observer) and means of control that is used (i.e., face-to-face vs. WhatsApp) while considering the effect of attitudinal variables: acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW), ambivalent sexism, and myths about romantic love. Two studies were implemented: Study 1 included women (n = 224) and Study 2 included men (n = 120), all of them college students. The main results revealed that both women and men perceive controlling behaviors amongst other peer couples; however, few of them recognize suffering or the exercise of these behaviors within their relationships. In addition, data pointed out the adopted role on the scene and the ideological variables (ambivalent sexism, acceptability of IPVAW, and myths about romantic love) that influenced social perception of dating violence; however, there was no influence of means of control. This research contributes to the previous literature, evidencing that controlling behaviors through technological means are accepted and normalized among young people. Additionally, it shows novel data about young people’s social perception of controlling behaviors in their relationships, depending on whether they adopt the role of observer or the role of protagonist in a violent situation.

Conflicts that arise in romantic relationships can be one of the greatest causes of suffering when they are not faced appropriately. Through two studies, this research analyses the differential effect of gender and the influence of emotional intelligence on conflict-facing responses, as well as their consequences at an individual and relationship level. In Study 1, we examined the existence of gender differences during conflicts through four independent samples of subjects (N = 727). After meta-analysing the results, we observed that women responded more expressively and loyally to conflict, while men had a more negligent response. In our observations in Study 2 (N = 185), emotional intelligence became a key factor in promoting a constructive response to face conflicts that is adopted by both women and men. Moreover, emotional intelligence finally favours their psychological well-being and satisfaction with the relationship. This research shows the importance of emotional skills in confronting conflicts that originate in intimate contexts such as romantic relationships and their consequences to both men and women.

Authors have empirically evidenced that cultural stereotypes influence gender-typed behavior. With the present work, we have added to this literature by demonstrating that gender roles can explain sex differences in risk-taking, a stereotypically masculine domain. Our aim was to replicate previous findings and to analyze what variables affect women making risky decisions in the social domain. A sample composed of 417 Spanish participants (281 women and 136 men), between 17 and 30 years old (M = 22.34, SD = 3.01), answered a set of self-report measures referring to femininity, fear of negative evaluation, and social risk-taking. According to the main results, sex indirectly linked to risk-taking in the social domain, through femininity and fear of negative evaluation. Specifically, women (vs. men) self-reported higher feminine traits, which were associated with increased fear of negative evaluation, which in turn was associated with less risky decisions in the social domain. Thus, we have showed the relationship between gender roles and women’s behaviors in a stereotypically masculine domain (risk-taking). Our findings highlight the necessity of considering a gender-based perspective in the field of risk-taking, showing that not all women make more risky decisions in the social domain.

Sexual aggression is one of the most humiliating forms of gender-based violence and may profoundly affect victims’ physical, mental, and sexual health. This research analyzed the role of previous experiences of sexual coercion by an intimate partner on women’s behavioral, cognitive, and emotional responses to a video clip showing a sexual assault involving a couple. Spanish college women with (N = 63) and without (N = 77) experience of sexual coercion indicated the point at which they would leave the situation (response latency), the probability of terminating the relationship if they were the woman in the video, attributions of responsibility to victim and perpetrator, and their emotional state. Victims were less likely to say they would terminate the relationship and reported more negative emotions than did nonvictims, but no differences were found on the response latency and attribution measures. Overall, the results suggest that previous sexual coercion may be related to women’s behavioral and emotional responses to situations involving the threat of sexual victimization.

Sexual objectification is a variable to consider for understanding the sexual violence that takes place into intimate context. The set of studies presented here aims to connect sexual objectification phenomena with sexual coercion and explore the consequences that both have on sexual satisfaction. Two studies examined the association between sexual objectification and sexual satisfaction for both views: female target (Study 1) and male perpetrator (Study 2) perspectives. The results of the first study (n = 138 heterosexual women) demonstrated that perceiving partner objectification (but not reporting general sexual objectification victimization) is indirectly linked to a lower sexual satisfaction because of lower rejection and higher sexual coercion rates. The second study (n = 136 heterosexual men) showed the indirect effect of partner objectification and general sexual objectification perpetration on sexual satisfaction after sexual coercion perpetration. Results of both studies demonstrated the negative consequences that sexual objectification has on sexual satisfaction for both male perpetrators and female targets.

Infidelity is considered an unforgivable betrayal. However, not all behaviors considered unfaithful affect the person who suffers them in the same way. Therefore, to have a better understanding of unforgiveness according to different extradyadic behaviors, two studies were designed. Study 1 (N = 240) explored which extradyadic behaviors are considered as more indicative of infidelity. The results revealed that sexual behaviors were considered more unfaithful when compared with technological, emotional/affective, and solitary behaviors. Study 2 (N = 378) examined the influence of experienced extradyadic behaviors on unforgiveness, negative affect, and anxious attachment to the partner. The results showed that (a) sexual and technological behaviors were less frequently forgiven and promoted a more intense negative affect, (b) anxious attachment was predictive of unforgiveness for sexual and technological behaviors, and (c) negative affect mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and unforgiveness for sexual and technological behaviors. These findings and their possible implications for romantic relationships are discussed.

Through forgiveness, people reduce negative responses toward their transgressors, and are more motivated to show positive behaviors instead. Two studies were performed with the aim to approach the phenomenon of forgiveness. The first study, in which 101 university students participated, aimed to examine the differenttypes of transgressions depending on the type of relationship (friendship vs. couple) and gender. In thesecond study (n = 201 participants from general population), we studied the influence of gender, emotional, and motivational variables on forgiveness after infidelity betrayal. Results of the first study showed that infidelity is perceived as the most serious transgression. In the second study, results showed that inunfaithful transgression, women perceived the consequences as more serious, felt more negative emotionsand showed greater empathy and dependency than men. Also, empathy in men as well as dependency in women were found to predict revenge, and resulted in less forgiveness. Finally, results showed that in both men and women, the negative affect mediated the relationship between severity of transgression andmotivation to retaliate as a result of infidelity.

Sexual harassment is one of the most widespread forms of gender violence. Perceptions of sexual harassment depend on gender, context, the perceivers’ ideology, and a host of other factors. Research has underscored the importance of coping strategies in raising a victim’s self-confidence by making her feel that she plays an active role in overcoming her own problems. The aim of this study was to assess the men’s perceptions of sexual harassment in relation to different victim responses. The study involved 101 men who were administered a questionnaire focusing on two of the most frequent types of harassment (gender harassment vs. unwanted sexual attention) and victim response (confrontation vs. non confrontation), both of which were manipulated. Moreover, the influences of ideological variables, ambivalent sexism, and the acceptance of myths of sexual harassment on perception were also assessed. The results highlight the complexities involved in recognizing certain behaviors as harassment and the implications of different victim responses to incidents of harassment. As the coping strategies used by women to confront harassment entail drawbacks that pose problems or hinder them, the design and implementation of prevention and/or education programs should strive to raise awareness among men and women to further their understanding of this construct.

El acoso sexual se ha convertido en un problema de gran importancia en la actualidad social, que sin embargo está invisibilizado. El objeto de este trabajo se centró en indagar posibles factores que influyen en la percepción social del acoso. En un primer estudio, 177 participantes leyeron un escenario de acoso sexual donde un jefe acosa a una trabajadora. Posteriormente contestaban las medidas de interés. En un segundo estudio 65 participantes leyeron un escenario, donde un profesor acosa sexualmente a una estudiante, y después contestaban las medidas de interés. Los principales resultados mostraron que los participantes que toleraban más el acoso, poseían más mitos hacia el acoso sexual y actitudes sexistas, atribuían una mayor culpabilidad a la víctima y percibían la conducta como menos acosadora. Estudios como este podrían ayudar a crear una mayor conciencia social acerca del acoso sexual, con el objetivo de poder detectar e intervenir sobre tales situaciones.

Current research has postulated that judicial inferencing and judgement-making are subject to biased appraisals. This study assessed the factors reported in the literature associated to the appraisal of criminality in a mock case of a battered woman standing trial for murdering her husband, and who pleaded legitimate self-defence in response to an instance of intimate partner violence. A nationwide sample of 169 police officers from different cities in Spain freely volunteered to participate in the study. Using a mock trial design, the defendant´s prototypicality (prototypical vs. non-prototypical), and physical attractiveness (attractive vs. unattractive) were manipulated. Participants were required to assess the criminality (credibility, responsibility, and controllability) of a battered woman accused of murdering her husband, and who alleged legitimate self-defence in response to an incident of intimate partner violence. The results showed that a defendant perceived as the prototype of a battered woman was judged as having less or no control of the situation; physical attractiveness increased the perception of the defendant´s responsibility in committing the crime; and an interaction between prototypicality and attractiveness in assigning credibility to the defendant´s testimony. Moreover, hostile sexism mediated the relationship between the defendant´s prototypicality and controllability. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for judicial judgement making in cases of battered women who kill their aggressors.

Interpersonal sexual objectification is defined as the act of reducing a woman to her body or body parts. It could be considered as a form of sexist discrimination, in which women have a differential treatment minimizing the importance of their inner qualities. The aim of this study, in which involved 251 participants, was to analyze the perception of interpsersonal sexual objectification in men and women. In addition, we examined the relationship between the interpersonal sexual objectification and ideological variables (sexism and power) as well as self-esteem and enjoyment of sexualization. Results showed gender differences in interpersonal sexual objectification. Women experienced more sexual objectification in their interpersonal relationships. Also, results showed the effect of gender in the variables that predicted interpersonal sexual objectification. In men, self-esteem and power were related with more experiences of sexual objectification. Specifically, power predicted the perception of objectification and this effect was mediated by enjoyment of sexualization. However, in women, benevolent sexism predicted the perception of interpersonal sexual objectification and this effect was mediated by enjoyment of sexualization.

This paper examines the reaction of the man when he sees he is losing power and authority over a woman and it relation with men’s sexist ideology. 83 men participated in the study and were led to believe they were interacting via computer with a woman, and answered a decision-making task about family relationships. All of them were assigned the role of someone with authority and power. In half the cases, the woman accepted the man's decisions, and, in the other half, she did not accept. The results showed that when woman did not accept the decisions of the man, she was perceived more negatively. Moreover, the more hostile sexist participants were, the more they rated negatively their female partner, especially when the woman did not accept their decisions. Hostile sexism acts as a corrective tool against those women who defy the traditionally higher status accorded to men. The valuation that woman receive in their interaction with man is determined by what man feel threatened. These results are of great interest in the field of gender violence, since it is one more step towards explaining why some men use violence to attempt to regain their threatened or lost power.

Prostitution has been the subject of intense debate in all societies and cultures though to varying degrees of public acceptance or rejection. The choice of legal approach to deal with this issue (i.e., legalization or prohibition) may be influenced by ideological factors. The primary aim of this study was to assess, in a sample of 620 individuals drawn from general population, the legal stances towards prostitution, and attitudes and beliefs regarding the underlying motives and behaviour of men who resort to prostitution. Moreover, the effects of sexist attitudes and beliefs and the legal stance towards prostitution on victim-blaming in cases of physical or sexual assault to prostitutes were assessed. The results reveal significant differences in legal stance towards prostitution in relation to attitudes and beliefs concerning the underlying motives and behaviour of men who procure the services of a prostitute. In other words, a high score in prohibition was associated to hostile attitudes and belief regarding the behaviour of men who resort to prostitution whereas a high score in legalization predicted benevolent attitudes and beliefs towards these men. Furthermore, the results show that a high degree of hostile sexism and the legal stance of prohibition predicted victim-blaming in physical or sexual assault to prostitutes.

Given the role that women play in the family, their imprisonment brings about a stigma in the family, an alteration of roles and attachment problems. These effects worsen for those who have young children while in prison. The purpose of this research is to contrast the differences between men’s and women’s responses to certain issues related to the time they spent in prison. Specifically, the purpose is to analyze whether time in prison affects the genders in different ways and to analyze any differences in the light of gender role theories. It is of utmost importance to address the fact that it is not that women have different problems than those which can be found in men, but rather that the consequences arising from incarceration for men and for women come on top of those differences already inherent to the genders.

Gender violence is one of the major issues that society faces. During the last few years, important legislative and interventional changes have been carried out, in order to adapt to with the specific nature of this type of crime. Because of the increase in the number of men that have been convicted of gender violence, and taking into account their general characteristics (in most of the cases it is their first crime), penal law offers an opportunity for intervention. One of the most novel measures imposed by the judges for these types of crimes is that, instead of giving jail sentences, they sentence the offenders to attend psychological treatment programs that deal with gender violence. This paper describes the experience with the application of a psycho-social intervention program with a gender perspective. We analyze the sample’s sociodemographic profile, and, in order to evaluate the program, we also use scales that measure gender ideology, beliefs about intimate relationships, and attitudes towards gender violence. Results showed that it is important to support and promote the intervention with this type of offender as a way to prevent new episodes of gender violence.

Conflict is inherent in all types of interpersonal relationships. It has especially important consequences in relationships involving high levels of interdependence, such as intimate relationships. Emotions are important to understand how people behave in their interpersonal relationships. Results from other studies suggest that women express powerless emotions like guilt, sadness or fear, and men express powerful emotions like anger or contempt. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of emotions that men and women feel when in conflictive situations with their partner. In addition, we examined the effect of emotions on the prevalence of partner conflicts. A total of 142 undergraduate students participated in our study. We used a mixed factorial design with 5 different types of interpersonal conflicts as a within participants variable, and sex as a between-participants variable. Participants then rated the emotions felt in each conflictive situation, as well as the frequency of partner conflicts. Results showed sex differences in emotions in each conflictive situation. Women felt all emotions more intensely. In men, however, powerful emotions predicted a higher prevalence of partner conflicts.

Existe evidencia acerca de la asociación entre la dependencia específica de la pareja y las relaciones violentas dentro de la pareja. Para evaluar este tipo de dependencia la prueba de evaluación de referencia es la Spouse-Specific Dependency Scale (SSDS). El trabajo instrumental incluye dos estudios independientes. El objetivo del primero fue presentar los datos psicométricos preliminares de la versión española de la SSDS. En éste han participado 230 adultos y una vez expuesto el proceso de construcción de los ítems y previos análisis de validez de contenido de éstos, se procedió a efectuar un análisis estadístico de los ítems, una exploración de la estructura dimensional de la prueba y un estudio de la fiabilidad del instrumento. El objetivo del segundo estudio, a través de una muestra de 600 participantes de la población general, fue analizar con procedimientos confirmatorios la estructura interna de la escala. Además, se obtuvieron evidencias de validez externa de dicha escala. Se finaliza el trabajo discutiendo sobre la relevancia del instrumento adaptado y sus posibles aplicaciones.

La ideología de género es un constructo de gran relevancia en el análisis psicológico del género, que se ha mostrado relacionado con multitud de comportamientos, creencias y actitudes de hombres y de mujeres, especialmente con aquellos relacionados con la discriminación de género. Tras definir el constructo que se pretende medir, en este estudio instrumental se revisan los estudios realizados para la elaboración y evaluación de las propiedades psicométricas de las versiones larga y reducida de la Escala de Ideología de Género (EIG). Los estudios revisados muestran que: a) los valores del coeficiente alfa para ambas versiones varían entre 0,70 y 0,90; b) el patrón general de las medias de las puntuaciones totales se inclina hacia el polo igualitario de la escala; y c) las evidencias convergentes y discriminantes de las mediciones aportadas por ambas versiones de la EIG son coherentes con la teoría sobre el constructo. Por último, se apuntan futuras investigaciones sobre la estructura factorial de las escalas y la utilidad predictiva del constructo ideología de género.

El envejecimiento de la población es un fenómeno demográfico actual, producto de un descenso sostenido en las tasas de natalidad y un incremento en la esperanza de vida. Se espera que este proceso continúe consolidándose y expandiéndose a nivel mundial tanto en los países desarrollados como en los en vía de desarrollo. La edad es una construcción social, un periodo de la vida que es definido de manera diferente en varias culturas, aunque con características comunes. La calidad de vida en esta etapa se ve fuertemente afectada por las actitudes y creencias que la sociedad en general mantiene al respecto. Además, los estudios demográficos muestran una clara tendencia a la feminización de la vejez, dada la mayor longevidad de las mujeres. La combinación de la vejez y el género como categorías sociales se presenta como un importante reto para la Psicología Social en el siglo XXI, cuya labor debe ser reconocer, documentar y demostrar cómo la existencia de tales categorías sociales y los procesos que desencadenan, limitan o favorecen la integración de estas personas en la sociedad.

Current research has postulated that sexual harassment is one of the most serious social problems. Perceptions of sexual harassment vary according to some factors: gender, context, and perceiver’s ideology. The strategies most commonly used by women to cope with harassment range from avoiding or ignoring the harasser to confronting the harasser or reporting the incident. The aim of this study was to explore women’s perception of sexual harassment, and to assess the implications of different victim responses to harassment. A total of 138 women were administered a questionnaire where the type of harassment, and victim response were manipulated. Moreover, the influence of ideological variables (i.e. ambivalent sexism and the acceptance of myths of sexual harassment) on perception was assessed. Results show perception of sexual harassment was lower in gender harassment than in unwanted sexual attention and participants believed women who confronted their harasser would be evaluated negatively by men. Furthermore, effects of ideology on perception of harassment were found. The results underscore the complexities involved in defining certain behaviours as harassment, and the implications of different victim responses to harassment.