Synonyms
Definition
A theory that proposes that in light of the greater valuing of female sexuality in most cultures, and the stronger sex drive in men compared to women, women use sex as a commodity or asset that can be exchanged with men for financial and emotional resources. As such, women manage the “supply” of sexual activity and men represent the demand for sexual activities, putting them in the role of sellers and buyers, respectively.
Introduction
Sexual economics theory (SET) was introduced by Baumeister and Vohs (2004). Rather than being a purely private interaction between two people, SET proposes that sexual activities are social exchange transactions that exist and are negotiated within a marketplace of interconnected individuals making choices based on local conditions and market factors, such as supply and demand. Like all economic theories, SET is based on the assumptions that (a) people make choices based on their perceptions of...
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References
Baumeister, R. F., & Mendoza, J. P. (2011). Cultural variations in the sexual marketplace: Gender equality correlates with more sexual activity. Journal of Social Psychology, 151(3), 350–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2010.481686
Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2004). Sexual economics: Sex as a female resource for social exchange in heterosexual interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8(4), 339–363. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0804_2
Baumeister, R. F., Catanese, K. R., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Is there a gender difference in strength of sex drive? Theoretical views, conceptual distinctions, and a review of relevant evidence. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(3), 242–273. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0503_5
Rudman, L. A. (2017). Myths from sexual economics theory: Implications for gender equality. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 41(3), 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684317714707
Rudman, L. A., & Fetterolf, J. C. (2014). Gender and sexual economics: Do women view sex as a female commodity? Psychological Science, 25(7), 1438–1447. https://doi.org/10.1177/200956797614533123
Rudman, L. A., & Fetterolf, J. C. (2015). Why sexual economics theory is patriarchal: Reply to Vohs and Baumeister’s (2015) comment on Rudman and Fetterolf (2014). Psychological Science, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615595018
Vohs, K. W., & Baumeister, R. F. (2015). Correcting some misinterpretations about gender and sexual economics theory: Comment on Rudman and Fetterolf (2014). Psychological Science, 26(9), 1522–1523. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615581492
Vohs, K. W., Sengupta, J., & Dahl, D. W. (2014). The price had better be right: Women’s reactions to sexual stimuli vary with market factors. Psychological Science, 25(1), 278–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613502732
Waller, W., & Hill, R. (1951). The family: A dynamic interpretation. Dryden. (Original work published 1938).
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Smith, C.V., Rios, J.W., Shaw, C.M. (2023). Sexual Economics Theory. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_90-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_90-1
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