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Sexual Satisfaction in Young Adulthood

Cohabitation, Committed Dating or Unattached Life?

Willy Pedersen

University of Oslo and Norwegian Social Research, willy.pedersen{at}sociology.uio.no

Morten Blekesaune

Norwegian Social Research, morten.blekesaune{at}nova.no

It has been suggested in several studies that marriage provides the best framework for a sexual relationship. During the past few decades, however, the majority of young singles have maintained a partnered sex life, and marriage has given way to cohabitation as the typical way for heterosexual couples to live together in young adulthood. Taking a longitudinal population-based sample of young Norwegian adults (n = 2695, age 20-26), we investigated the degree to which sexual satisfaction was associated with the type of relationship in which they were engaged. Among both males and females, the sexually active unattached were the least satisfied with their sex lives, and a committed and long-lasting relationship seemed to be of greater importance for women than for men. In these relationships, however, a decrease in sexual activity and sexual satisfaction was observed over time, suggesting that boredom and routine may rapidly decrease sexual satisfaction. Most striking was the finding that females seem to profit in their sexual relationships from traditionally feminine and masculine gender roles in the form of androgyny. Men, on the other hand, still seem to manoeuvre on the basis of less flexible gender roles.

Key Words: cohabitation • gender • gender role • marriage • relationships • sexual satisfaction • singles • union type

Acta Sociologica, Vol. 46, No. 3, 179-193 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/00016993030463001
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