Hooking-up is a new trend in the lives of today’s young adults. It has become the most common heterosexual form of a relationship on college campuses. But what exactly is hooking-up? According to social scientist, hooking-up is “a sexual encounter, usually lasting only one night, between two people who are strangers or brief acquaintances.” This literary review will look at the social norms, benefits, and personal factors that have caused many students to make the switch from traditional dating to hooking-up. Some of the serious consequences that can go along with hooking-up for females are depression, unplanned pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. Research has shown that college females may not be as comfortable with these new sexual encounters as it may appear

Gallagher, Maura

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

PerspectivesSpring 2012 Article 115-1-2012The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on CollegeCampusesMaura GallagherUniversity of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectivesThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals and Publications at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository.It has been accepted for inclusion in Perspectives by an authorized editor of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information,please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationGallagher, Maura (2012) "The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses," Perspectives: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 11.Available at: https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11   85    The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses                Maura Gallagher ABSTRACT Hooking-up is a new trend in the lives of today’s young adults. It has become the most common heterosexual form of a relationship on college campuses. But what exactly is hooking-up? According to social scientist, hooking-up is “a sexual encounter, usually lasting only one night, between two people who are strangers or brief acquaintances.” This literary review will look at the social norms, benefits, and personal factors that have caused many students to make the switch from traditional dating to hooking-up. Some of the serious consequences that can go along with hooking-up for females are depression, unplanned pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. Research has shown that college females may not be as comfortable with these new sexual encounters as it may appear.   INTRODUCTION   The culture on college campuses has gone through many changes in the last several decades. The social norms of society have undergone many transformations. One major aspect of college culture that has developed is the tradition of dating. Years ago dating or “going steady” was seen as a customary feature of life that students were expected to partake in.  Since the 1960’s, the roles and expectations of dating have completely changed (Gross 2005). It is now much less common for students to participate in the dating world. In today’s college culture, it is becoming much more conventional for students to “hook-up” than partake in a traditional heterosexual dating relationship.     There is much discrepancy surrounding the definition of hooking up. It can be defined differently depending on who is talking, where you are, and whom you are talking to (Sacco et. al 2011). Hooking up is defined by social scientists as “a sexual encounter, usually lasting only one night, between two people who are strangers or brief acquaintances.” Hook-ups are casual sexual encounters that do not necessarily always include sexual intercourse. Most importantly, a hook-up takes place outside of the realm of commitment. This is an extremely vital component of the definition because on today’s college campuses, students constantly feel over whelmed and pressed for time. Hook ups give them the opportunity to have their physical needs met without the time commitment expected in a steady relationship. Hooking up does not imply emotional interest in the other person, but it also does not exclude for it to 1Gallagher: The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College CampusesPublished by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2012   86  eventually develop (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009). For example, a hook-up could be two people that meet at a party and decide to engage in sexual activity. Hooking up has become more common than heterosexual dating on college campuses around the United States.    In this paper, I will examine empirical literature to gain further insight into the stigmas, social norms, motivations and hypocrisies that go along with hooking up on college campuses to find out how the attitude and level of comfort relative of hooking up vary by gender. I will look at three factors to determine how the different sexes feel about hooking up: emotional benefits, social acceptability and personal influences. By looking at these factors, the attitude and comfort that female college students feel towards hooking up will be evident.   WHO BENEFITS?   When it comes to dating versus hooking up, males and females tend to take opposing sides. Males are more likely to favor hooking up, whereas females prefer dating (Eshbaugh 2010).  Sociologists have found after analyzing the costs of dating and hooking up that each gender gains greater benefits from its respective preference. Part of the reason that men prefer hooking up over dating is because traditionally dating requires much more effort on the male’s part. Men are more vulnerable during the traditional dating process. Men also like to hold on to a sense of freedom that comes along with hooking up. It is also more likely that men will gain status after the hook-up among other male peers.  Contrary to males’ opinion of hooking up, females tend to be more hesitant about the idea. Females prefer the sense of security that goes along with having a steady boyfriend. Females also are more likely to lose status after hooking up among their female peers (Rohen 2010). When asked about relationship goals, men’s goals usually involve some type of sexual accomplishment whereas females focus more on companionship, nurturing, and adventure (Bradshaw, Kahn and Saville 2010).    Traditionally, a man asks a women out with the chance of being rejected, plans the date, picks the women up, pays and is to initiate the second date. For women, dating gives them the option of saying yes or no to a male’s offer. They are responsible for getting ready, going on the date, getting brought home and allowing, accepting, or rejecting the second date. This customary pattern of dating allows the female to have less stress and vulnerability during dating than males do. This may be part of the reason as to why males are not always so fond of dating. The “traditional” gendered script of dating is hardly present anymore on college campuses (Uecker and Rengus 2010). Women are more likely to seek long-term relationships than men are. Overall, traditionally in dating, men are the active participants and women are the reactive participants.    Hooking up tends to have more negative consequences for females, such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, depression and sexual assault. College women consistently express less comfort with hooking up than college men do (Bradshaw et. al. 2010). Women often feel pressured to go along with whatever sexual advances their male partner is attempting out of fear of rejection. Many of these occurrences could be legally considered rape 2Perspectives, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 11https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11   87  (Rohen 2010). Men enjoy hooking up because it allows them to feel as if they are not losing any freedom. In contrast, 37% of women feel that they have been overly sexually compliant in their relationships (Uecker and Rengus 2010). Sexual compliance is when one party agrees to partake in an activity without having any desire to and does not feel as if they are capable of voicing their want to omit from the activity (Bradshaw et. al). When a woman feels like this, she is also more likely to feel less of a sense of commitment from her partner. The force of sexual behavior actually distances the couple and can result in the women suffering from depression (Katz and Tirone 2009).     The sexual double standard can make women feel guilty about hooking up. Researcher Elaine M. Eshbaugh (2010) argues that females sense more regret of action than men. Eshbaugh administered a voluntary survey to 152 college females at a Midwestern Univeristy in the United States to gauge the level of regret that sexually active students feel after a hook up (Eshbaugh 2010). 72% of female college students say that they have had at least one sexual encounter in college that they truly regret. Men, Eshbaugh believes from her research, sense more regret of inaction, meaning that they have more regret from omitting from an action than they do if they partake in said action. This statement provides insight into the fact that it is more socially acceptable for men to be sexually permissive than it is for women. This causes a gender-based double standard.   SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY   In recent years, it seems to be just as acceptable to hook-up as it is to date on college campuses. Hooking up is now considered a social norm, which makes students believe it is more acceptable. In their survey, Bradshaw et. al. (2010) found that 77.7% of females and 82.4% of males reported hooking up at some point in college with a mean of 10.8 hook ups and a range of 0-65 hook ups. Previously, hooking up with strangers would instantly ruin a person’s reputation. Now it is not so commonly viewed as something to necessarily be ashamed of. College students tend to view their peers as much more promiscuous then they think of themselves to be, but this is not always the case (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009). Society tends to push two contradicting messages: sexual deviance is completely acceptable but it is only acceptable if you are a male.    It is so common now for words like “slut” and “whore” to be tossed around as if they have no negative connotation. The media reinforces that females are to try to pursue loving and committed relationships. Men are expected to pursue sexual strictly relationships (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009.) This message is attainable in many of today’s media, such as wedding advertisings in female-directed magazines and television shows like “Say Yes to the Dress.” Television shows, movies, books, and magazines that promote the idea of the “traditional” wedding style tend to be marketed towards women. These types of media are a constant reminder to females that they must be looking for loving and committing relationships, not just moving from hook up to hook up. Media that is directed towards males tend to be much more sexualized.  3Gallagher: The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College CampusesPublished by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2012   88    Women who attempt to pursue sexual relationships tend to be called names and talked poorly about by their peers (Rohen 2010). Researchers have found that when it comes to sexuality women are judged more harshly than men.  Women who attempt to gain sexual gratification outside of a committed relationship can have their reputation completely diminished by their peers. On the contrary men who pursue hooking up over a serious committed relationship are seen as “studs” and “players,” words that are more playful than hurtful (Rohen 2010). Men gain status from having sexual experience, where as female college students lose status and are seen as not having any self-respect. This shows that females are more likely to sense regret due their peers’ reactions.    Our society is becoming very sexually driven. Today’s media consistently reinforces the gender-based double standard and acceptance of sexuality. College students very rarely get the opportunity to directly observe their peers sexually, so what they gather as social norms they get from the media. A theory that can accurately describe this is the cultivation theory. The cultivation theory is responsible for explaining the effects of viewing television shows. This means that there is a consistent stream of similar images fed to every household via television programs. These images reinforce the ideas of sexuality and allow the majority of households to have similar views on the topic (Chia and Gunther 2006). Now, the cultivation theory is not only limited to television, but is extended to all types of media. Where today’s media is so sexualized, college students are repeatedly reminded of the acceptance of sex in society.  Chia and Gunther performed a study in 2006 that explored the media and its contributions to the misconceptions of social norms about sex that are believed by college students.  They hypothesized that college students believed that their peers were much more sexually active due to what they saw in the media. Chia and Gunther gained information for 312 male and female students in a sociology lecture at a United States University. They found that the hypothesis proved correct after what was gathered from the survey. A limitation of this study was that it was only performed in the United States. This is a limitation because many Western countries have much different media laws that the United States. I think it would have been very interesting to see how the difference in laws would affect the outcome of the students’ responses.  INFLUENCES   There are a plethora of factors that can influence a female’s decision to participate in hooking up. One large reason that girls decide to hook-up is because they believe that it will serve as a starting point to a relationship. 18% of female students surveyed view hooking up as a stepping-stone towards a future relationship (Bradshaw et. al. 2010). In reality, men will not usually just hook up with a woman they see a potential relationship with. Men have an easier time separating sex and love. Women on the other hand tend to intertwine the two believing that they go in hand. 60% of women surveyed say that they went into college expecting to find a husband. Seeing that most hook-ups occur in college, it can be inferred that women do use hook ups to potentially further relationships.  4Perspectives, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 11https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11   89    Another factor that can influence a girl’s reasons to hook-up is religion. Girls who indicate strong religious beliefs are less likely to indicate a high level of regret related to hook-ups (Eshbaugh 2010).  Much to contrary belief, women of Catholic belief are more likely to hook-up at college than females with no religious affiliation. Extreme conservative Protestant women are the least likely to hook up while at college and women who attend a university with some type of religious affiliation are more likely to hook-up than those who attend a school with no religious affiliation. (Burdette, Ellison, Hill and Glenn 2009).   Alcohol can play a large role in hooking up on college campuses, especially for females. Sociologist have found that hooking up usually occurs after activities involving drugs and alcohol and after being at establishments such as frat houses, house parties, and bars (Bradshaw et. al 2010). Alcohol is a disinhibiting force, meaning that they can use alcohol as an excuse or a justification for hooking up. 35% of students surveyed following their first year of college reported that they had been swayed to partake in sexual behavior after consuming alcohol (Beck 2009). Students tend to believe that consumption of alcohol will also boost their chances of hooking up when in reality alcohol lowers the presence of the hormone testosterone in the bloodstream, lowering sexual desire. This proves that alcohol psychologically makes people want to hook-up, not physically. Female students tend to use the “because I was drunk” response when it comes to talking about hook-ups. They feel regret and guilt. Alcohol acts as an explanation for actions that they would not have normally committed if sober. The only situation that on average women prefers hooking-up to dating is when alcohol is present (Bradshaw et. al. 2010).  CONCLUSION   Hooking up on college campuses is hardly a phase. I strongly believe that this is a new transformation our culture is going to be seeing for a long time. Marriage rates are declining and people are waiting longer to get married. This shows that commitment is going on the back burner compared to personal gratification. Uecker and Rengus (2010) found in their study that due to the fact that men tend to be less present on college campuses than females, there is less motivation for women to partake in the traditional patterns of dating.   I believe that women still aim for a loving, strong commitment instead of a hook-up but where hook-ups are becoming more socially acceptable, traditional dating will become a much more rare occurrence. Hooking up also provides much more risks for the female involved. Risks associated with hooking up are unwanted pregnancy, sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases and depression (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009). Due to these factors it is clear to see that women, on average, prefer dating opposed to hooking up for the sense of security and comfort.    Overall, female college students tend to hook up with out being comfortable with it. Though hook ups are on the rise, it is not necessarily what female college students are trying to 5Gallagher: The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College CampusesPublished by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2012   90  get them into. Where on average, females out number males on college campuses it can be a challenge to find a dating partner for females. With the age of first marriage being delayed, commitment is less and less on the minds of college students. College is now more viewed as a time to “have fun,” as portrayed in the media.   REFERENCES  Beck, Jeffrey. 2009. “Getting Drunk and Hooking Up: An Exploritory Study Between Alcohol Intoxica;tion and Casual Coupling in a University Sample.” Sociological Spectrum. 29(1) 626-648.  Bradshaw, Carolyn, Arnold S. Kahn, and Bryan K. Saville. 2010. “To Hook Up or Date: Which Gender Benefits?” Springer Science and Business Media. 61(1): 662-699.  Burdette, Amy M., Christopher G. Ellison, Terrence D. Hill, and Norval D. Glenn. 2009. “Hooking Up at College: Does Religion Really Make A Difference?” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 48(3): 535-551.  Chia, Stella C., and Albert C. Gunther. 2006. “How Media Contribute to Misperceptions of Social Norms About Sex.” Mass Communication and Society. 9(3), 301–320.  Eshbaugh, Elaine M., and Gary Gute. 2010. “Hookups and Sexual Regret Among College Women.” The Journal of Social Psychology. 148(1): 77-90.  Edited, Directed and Produced by Danielle Sacco, Laura Cummings, Liz Rodriguez and Shannon Reynolds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okjmCgy8yWE.  Gross, Neil. 2005. “The Detraditionalization of Intimacy Reconsidered.” Sociological Theory. 23(1): 286-311.  Hamilton, Laura and Elizabeth A. Armstrong. 2009. “Gendered Sexuality in Young Adults: Double Binds and Flawed Options.” Sage Publications. 23(1):589-616  Katz, Jennifer and Vanessa Tirone. 2009. “Women’s Sexual Compliance with Male Dating Partners: Associations with Investment in Ideal Womanhood and Romantic Well-Being.” Sex Roles. 60(1):347–356.  Rohen, Shelly. 2010. “Grinding On the Dance Floor : Gendered Scripts and Sexualized Dancing at College Parties.” Sage Publications. 24(1): 355-377.  Uecker, Jeremy E., and Mark D. Regnerus. 2010. “Bare Market: Campus Sex Ratios, Romantic Relationships and Sexual Behavior.” Sociological Quarterly. 51(3): 408-435.  6Perspectives, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 11https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11

The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses

University of New Hampshire

Perspectives
Spring 2012 Article 11
5-1-2012
The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College
Campuses
Maura Gallagher
University of New Hampshire, Durham
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals and Publications at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository.
It has been accepted for inclusion in Perspectives by an authorized editor of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information,
please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Gallagher, Maura (2012) "The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses," Perspectives: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 11.
Available at: https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11
 
 
 
85 
 
 
 
The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College 
Campuses 
              
 
Maura Gallagher 
ABSTRACT 
Hooking-up is a new trend in the lives of today’s young adults. It has become the most 
common heterosexual form of a relationship on college campuses. But what exactly is 
hooking-up? According to social scientist, hooking-up is “a sexual encounter, usually 
lasting only one night, between two people who are strangers or brief acquaintances.” 
This literary review will look at the social norms, benefits, and personal factors that have 
caused many students to make the switch from traditional dating to hooking-up. Some 
of the serious consequences that can go along with hooking-up for females are 
depression, unplanned pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. Research has 
shown that college females may not be as comfortable with these new sexual 
encounters as it may appear.  
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The culture on college campuses has gone through many changes in the last several 
decades. The social norms of society have undergone many transformations. One major aspect 
of college culture that has developed is the tradition of dating. Years ago dating or “going 
steady” was seen as a customary feature of life that students were expected to partake in.  
Since the 1960’s, the roles and expectations of dating have completely changed (Gross 2005). It 
is now much less common for students to participate in the dating world. In today’s college 
culture, it is becoming much more conventional for students to “hook-up” than partake in a 
traditional heterosexual dating relationship.   
 
 There is much discrepancy surrounding the definition of hooking up. It can be defined 
differently depending on who is talking, where you are, and whom you are talking to (Sacco et. 
al 2011). Hooking up is defined by social scientists as “a sexual encounter, usually lasting only 
one night, between two people who are strangers or brief acquaintances.” Hook-ups are casual 
sexual encounters that do not necessarily always include sexual intercourse. Most importantly, 
a hook-up takes place outside of the realm of commitment. This is an extremely vital 
component of the definition because on today’s college campuses, students constantly feel 
over whelmed and pressed for time. Hook ups give them the opportunity to have their physical 
needs met without the time commitment expected in a steady relationship. Hooking up does 
not imply emotional interest in the other person, but it also does not exclude for it to 
1
Gallagher: The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses
Published by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2012
 
 
 
86 
 
eventually develop (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009). For example, a hook-up could be two 
people that meet at a party and decide to engage in sexual activity. Hooking up has become 
more common than heterosexual dating on college campuses around the United States.  
 
 In this paper, I will examine empirical literature to gain further insight into the stigmas, 
social norms, motivations and hypocrisies that go along with hooking up on college campuses 
to find out how the attitude and level of comfort relative of hooking up vary by gender. I will 
look at three factors to determine how the different sexes feel about hooking up: emotional 
benefits, social acceptability and personal influences. By looking at these factors, the attitude 
and comfort that female college students feel towards hooking up will be evident.  
 
WHO BENEFITS? 
 
 When it comes to dating versus hooking up, males and females tend to take opposing 
sides. Males are more likely to favor hooking up, whereas females prefer dating (Eshbaugh 
2010).  Sociologists have found after analyzing the costs of dating and hooking up that each 
gender gains greater benefits from its respective preference. Part of the reason that men prefer 
hooking up over dating is because traditionally dating requires much more effort on the male’s 
part. Men are more vulnerable during the traditional dating process. Men also like to hold on to 
a sense of freedom that comes along with hooking up. It is also more likely that men will gain 
status after the hook-up among other male peers.  Contrary to males’ opinion of hooking up, 
females tend to be more hesitant about the idea. Females prefer the sense of security that goes 
along with having a steady boyfriend. Females also are more likely to lose status after hooking 
up among their female peers (Rohen 2010). When asked about relationship goals, men’s goals 
usually involve some type of sexual accomplishment whereas females focus more on 
companionship, nurturing, and adventure (Bradshaw, Kahn and Saville 2010).  
 
 Traditionally, a man asks a women out with the chance of being rejected, plans the date, 
picks the women up, pays and is to initiate the second date. For women, dating gives them the 
option of saying yes or no to a male’s offer. They are responsible for getting ready, going on the 
date, getting brought home and allowing, accepting, or rejecting the second date. This 
customary pattern of dating allows the female to have less stress and vulnerability during 
dating than males do. This may be part of the reason as to why males are not always so fond of 
dating. The “traditional” gendered script of dating is hardly present anymore on college 
campuses (Uecker and Rengus 2010). Women are more likely to seek long-term relationships 
than men are. Overall, traditionally in dating, men are the active participants and women are 
the reactive participants. 
  
 Hooking up tends to have more negative consequences for females, such as pregnancy, 
sexually transmitted diseases, depression and sexual assault. College women consistently 
express less comfort with hooking up than college men do (Bradshaw et. al. 2010). Women 
often feel pressured to go along with whatever sexual advances their male partner is 
attempting out of fear of rejection. Many of these occurrences could be legally considered rape 
2
Perspectives, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 11
https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11
 
 
 
87 
 
(Rohen 2010). Men enjoy hooking up because it allows them to feel as if they are not losing any 
freedom. In contrast, 37% of women feel that they have been overly sexually compliant in their 
relationships (Uecker and Rengus 2010). Sexual compliance is when one party agrees to partake 
in an activity without having any desire to and does not feel as if they are capable of voicing 
their want to omit from the activity (Bradshaw et. al). When a woman feels like this, she is also 
more likely to feel less of a sense of commitment from her partner. The force of sexual behavior 
actually distances the couple and can result in the women suffering from depression (Katz and 
Tirone 2009).  
  
 The sexual double standard can make women feel guilty about hooking up. Researcher 
Elaine M. Eshbaugh (2010) argues that females sense more regret of action than men. 
Eshbaugh administered a voluntary survey to 152 college females at a Midwestern Univeristy in 
the United States to gauge the level of regret that sexually active students feel after a hook up 
(Eshbaugh 2010). 72% of female college students say that they have had at least one sexual 
encounter in college that they truly regret. Men, Eshbaugh believes from her research, sense 
more regret of inaction, meaning that they have more regret from omitting from an action than 
they do if they partake in said action. This statement provides insight into the fact that it is 
more socially acceptable for men to be sexually permissive than it is for women. This causes a 
gender-based double standard.  
 
SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY 
 
 In recent years, it seems to be just as acceptable to hook-up as it is to date on college 
campuses. Hooking up is now considered a social norm, which makes students believe it is 
more acceptable. In their survey, Bradshaw et. al. (2010) found that 77.7% of females and 
82.4% of males reported hooking up at some point in college with a mean of 10.8 hook ups and 
a range of 0-65 hook ups. Previously, hooking up with strangers would instantly ruin a person’s 
reputation. Now it is not so commonly viewed as something to necessarily be ashamed of. 
College students tend to view their peers as much more promiscuous then they think of 
themselves to be, but this is not always the case (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009). Society tends 
to push two contradicting messages: sexual deviance is completely acceptable but it is only 
acceptable if you are a male. 
 
  It is so common now for words like “slut” and “whore” to be tossed around as if they 
have no negative connotation. The media reinforces that females are to try to pursue loving 
and committed relationships. Men are expected to pursue sexual strictly relationships 
(Hamilton and Armstrong 2009.) This message is attainable in many of today’s media, such as 
wedding advertisings in female-directed magazines and television shows like “Say Yes to the 
Dress.” Television shows, movies, books, and magazines that promote the idea of the 
“traditional” wedding style tend to be marketed towards women. These types of media are a 
constant reminder to females that they must be looking for loving and committing 
relationships, not just moving from hook up to hook up. Media that is directed towards males 
tend to be much more sexualized.  
3
Gallagher: The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses
Published by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2012
 
 
 
88 
 
 
 Women who attempt to pursue sexual relationships tend to be called names and talked 
poorly about by their peers (Rohen 2010). Researchers have found that when it comes to 
sexuality women are judged more harshly than men.  Women who attempt to gain sexual 
gratification outside of a committed relationship can have their reputation completely 
diminished by their peers. On the contrary men who pursue hooking up over a serious 
committed relationship are seen as “studs” and “players,” words that are more playful than 
hurtful (Rohen 2010). Men gain status from having sexual experience, where as female college 
students lose status and are seen as not having any self-respect. This shows that females are 
more likely to sense regret due their peers’ reactions.  
 
 Our society is becoming very sexually driven. Today’s media consistently reinforces the 
gender-based double standard and acceptance of sexuality. College students very rarely get the 
opportunity to directly observe their peers sexually, so what they gather as social norms they 
get from the media. A theory that can accurately describe this is the cultivation theory. The 
cultivation theory is responsible for explaining the effects of viewing television shows. This 
means that there is a consistent stream of similar images fed to every household via television 
programs. These images reinforce the ideas of sexuality and allow the majority of households to 
have similar views on the topic (Chia and Gunther 2006). Now, the cultivation theory is not only 
limited to television, but is extended to all types of media. Where today’s media is so 
sexualized, college students are repeatedly reminded of the acceptance of sex in society.  
Chia and Gunther performed a study in 2006 that explored the media and its contributions to 
the misconceptions of social norms about sex that are believed by college students.  They 
hypothesized that college students believed that their peers were much more sexually active 
due to what they saw in the media. Chia and Gunther gained information for 312 male and 
female students in a sociology lecture at a United States University. They found that the 
hypothesis proved correct after what was gathered from the survey. A limitation of this study 
was that it was only performed in the United States. This is a limitation because many Western 
countries have much different media laws that the United States. I think it would have been 
very interesting to see how the difference in laws would affect the outcome of the students’ 
responses. 
 
INFLUENCES 
 
 There are a plethora of factors that can influence a female’s decision to participate in 
hooking up. One large reason that girls decide to hook-up is because they believe that it will 
serve as a starting point to a relationship. 18% of female students surveyed view hooking up as 
a stepping-stone towards a future relationship (Bradshaw et. al. 2010). In reality, men will not 
usually just hook up with a woman they see a potential relationship with. Men have an easier 
time separating sex and love. Women on the other hand tend to intertwine the two believing 
that they go in hand. 60% of women surveyed say that they went into college expecting to find 
a husband. Seeing that most hook-ups occur in college, it can be inferred that women do use 
hook ups to potentially further relationships.  
4
Perspectives, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 11
https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11
 
 
 
89 
 
 
 Another factor that can influence a girl’s reasons to hook-up is religion. Girls who 
indicate strong religious beliefs are less likely to indicate a high level of regret related to hook-
ups (Eshbaugh 2010).  Much to contrary belief, women of Catholic belief are more likely to 
hook-up at college than females with no religious affiliation. Extreme conservative Protestant 
women are the least likely to hook up while at college and women who attend a university with 
some type of religious affiliation are more likely to hook-up than those who attend a school 
with no religious affiliation. (Burdette, Ellison, Hill and Glenn 2009). 
 
 Alcohol can play a large role in hooking up on college campuses, especially for females. 
Sociologist have found that hooking up usually occurs after activities involving drugs and 
alcohol and after being at establishments such as frat houses, house parties, and bars 
(Bradshaw et. al 2010). Alcohol is a disinhibiting force, meaning that they can use alcohol as an 
excuse or a justification for hooking up. 35% of students surveyed following their first year of 
college reported that they had been swayed to partake in sexual behavior after consuming 
alcohol (Beck 2009). Students tend to believe that consumption of alcohol will also boost their 
chances of hooking up when in reality alcohol lowers the presence of the hormone 
testosterone in the bloodstream, lowering sexual desire. This proves that alcohol 
psychologically makes people want to hook-up, not physically. Female students tend to use the 
“because I was drunk” response when it comes to talking about hook-ups. They feel regret and 
guilt. Alcohol acts as an explanation for actions that they would not have normally committed if 
sober. The only situation that on average women prefers hooking-up to dating is when alcohol 
is present (Bradshaw et. al. 2010). 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
 Hooking up on college campuses is hardly a phase. I strongly believe that this is a new 
transformation our culture is going to be seeing for a long time. Marriage rates are declining 
and people are waiting longer to get married. This shows that commitment is going on the back 
burner compared to personal gratification. Uecker and Rengus (2010) found in their study that 
due to the fact that men tend to be less present on college campuses than females, there is less 
motivation for women to partake in the traditional patterns of dating. 
 
 I believe that women still aim for a loving, strong commitment instead of a hook-up but 
where hook-ups are becoming more socially acceptable, traditional dating will become a much 
more rare occurrence. Hooking up also provides much more risks for the female involved. Risks 
associated with hooking up are unwanted pregnancy, sexual assault, sexually transmitted 
diseases and depression (Hamilton and Armstrong 2009). Due to these factors it is clear to see 
that women, on average, prefer dating opposed to hooking up for the sense of security and 
comfort.  
 
 Overall, female college students tend to hook up with out being comfortable with it. 
Though hook ups are on the rise, it is not necessarily what female college students are trying to 
5
Gallagher: The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses
Published by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2012
 
 
 
90 
 
get them into. Where on average, females out number males on college campuses it can be a 
challenge to find a dating partner for females. With the age of first marriage being delayed, 
commitment is less and less on the minds of college students. College is now more viewed as a 
time to “have fun,” as portrayed in the media.  
 
REFERENCES 
 
Beck, Jeffrey. 2009. “Getting Drunk and Hooking Up: An Exploritory Study Between Alcohol 
Intoxica;tion and Casual Coupling in a University Sample.” Sociological Spectrum. 29(1) 
626-648. 
 
Bradshaw, Carolyn, Arnold S. Kahn, and Bryan K. Saville. 2010. “To Hook Up or Date: Which 
Gender Benefits?” Springer Science and Business Media. 61(1): 662-699. 
 
Burdette, Amy M., Christopher G. Ellison, Terrence D. Hill, and Norval D. Glenn. 2009. “Hooking 
Up at College: Does Religion Really Make A Difference?” Journal for the Scientific Study 
of Religion. 48(3): 535-551. 
 
Chia, Stella C., and Albert C. Gunther. 2006. “How Media Contribute to Misperceptions of Social 
Norms About Sex.” Mass Communication and Society. 9(3), 301–320. 
 
Eshbaugh, Elaine M., and Gary Gute. 2010. “Hookups and Sexual Regret Among College 
Women.” The Journal of Social Psychology. 148(1): 77-90. 
 
Edited, Directed and Produced by Danielle Sacco, Laura Cummings, Liz Rodriguez and Shannon 
Reynolds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okjmCgy8yWE. 
 
Gross, Neil. 2005. “The Detraditionalization of Intimacy Reconsidered.” Sociological Theory. 
23(1): 286-311. 
 
Hamilton, Laura and Elizabeth A. Armstrong. 2009. “Gendered Sexuality in Young Adults: 
Double Binds and Flawed Options.” Sage Publications. 23(1):589-616 
 
Katz, Jennifer and Vanessa Tirone. 2009. “Women’s Sexual Compliance with Male Dating 
Partners: Associations with Investment in Ideal Womanhood and Romantic Well-Being.” 
Sex Roles. 60(1):347–356. 
 
Rohen, Shelly. 2010. “Grinding On the Dance Floor : Gendered Scripts and Sexualized Dancing at 
College Parties.” Sage Publications. 24(1): 355-377. 
 
Uecker, Jeremy E., and Mark D. Regnerus. 2010. “Bare Market: Campus Sex Ratios, Romantic 
Relationships and Sexual Behavior.” Sociological Quarterly. 51(3): 408-435. 
 
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Perspectives, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 11
https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol4/iss1/11


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The Female Perspective of Hooking-Up on College Campuses

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