Why Do We Have Sex? An Intersectional Approach to Examining Sexual Motivations

Sexual motivations of women, sexual minorities, and racial/ethnic minorities, have a history of been misunderstood and/or understudied. Due in part to certain models, such as the minority stress model, as well as pervading stigmas and stereotypes, the sexual behaviors of underrepresented groups have been portrayed in a negative fashion. Comparing and contrasting the sexual motivations of marginalized groups and their non-marginalized counterparts is important for gaining a better understanding of why people are having sex. Self-awareness is another facet of sexual motivation research that is essential yet understudied. Determining whether people are cognizant of, and can call attention to, their own motivations is critical. The goals of the present study were to look through the lens of sexual script theory and intersectionality theory to determine whether gender identity, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation are associated with specific categories of sexual motivations, and if participants have sexual consciousness (one’s awareness of their sexual motivations; Snell et al., 1991). The final sample included 522 participants, recruited from various research and social media sites, who completed a survey in which they indicated reasons why they have had sex, completed the YSEX? (Meston & Buss, 2007) questionnaire, and responded to vignettes that explicitly named different sexual motivations. Results illuminated similarities and differences among the marginalized and non-marginalized groups of our key demographics. Our findings have important theoretical and methodological implications as well as implications for sex education, and for learning to examine the sexual motivations of underrepresented groups in a less negative light.