ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Gender Differences in Condom Use Behavior?
The Role of Power and Partner-Type
Sarah E. Woolf
&
Stephen A. Maisto
Published online: 30 January 2008
#
Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2007
Abstract The primary goal of this study was to experi-
mentally investigate the theory of gender and power
(Wingood and DiClemente, Health Education and Behavior
27:539–565, 2000) in order to better understand gender
differences in condom use behavior. The influence of
relationship power (equal or low), partner-type (serious or
casual), and gender on difficulty implementing condom use
was explored using experimental vignettes. Heterosexual,
sexually active, undergraduate students from a private
university in the United States (N=203) indicated how
“difficult” it would be to implement condom use in a
variety of situations. Results revealed a significant main
effect for power and partner-type, qualified by a significant
three-way interaction. The consistency of these findings
with the predictions of the theory and methodological
limitations are discussed.
Keywords Gender
.
Power
.
Condom
.
Partner-type
.
Sex
Introduction
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV and
AIDS, are a growing threat to women in the United States.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the
estimated proportion of AIDS cases among female adults
and adolescents (aged 13–19) increased from 7% in 1985 to
26% in 2002. Furthermore, 68% of the 10,955 AIDS cases
diagnosed in 2002 among adult and adolescent women can
be attributed to heterosexual transmission, 53% of which
occurred through contact with a high-risk sexual partner
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National
Center for HIV 2002). The statistics for STDs are also
disturbing, with over 65 million people in the United States
living with an STD (American Social Health Association
1998). Furthermore, two-thirds of all STDs happen in
people under the age of 25, with one in four new STD
infections occurring in teenagers (ASHA 1998). The CDC
asserts that the male latex condom is “highly effective” in
the prevention of HIV and other STDs (CDC: Department
of Health and Human Services 2000). For those who are
sexually active, the correct use of a male latex condom
every time one engages in sexual intercourse greatly
reduces the chance of contracting HIV or another STD
(CDC 2000). Thus, from this point forward, any reference
to “condom” will always refer to a male latex condom.
Despite the risks of unprotected sex, condom use among
adults in the United States remains relatively low. A
national household based probability survey of 1,786
sexually active adults in the U.S. revealed that only
19.7% of all respondents reported using condoms during
their most recent sexual encounter (Anderson 2003).
Furthermore, condom use was much lower within an
ongoing relationship (17.5%) than outside of an ongoing
relationship (44.5%; Anderson et al. 1999). Other studies
have also found relatively low rates of condom use in
ongoing relationships, especially among heterosexual col-
lege students (for a review, see Misovich et al. 1997).
It is difficult to explain why, despite an increased risk for
STDs and HIV infection, heterosexual college students fail
to protect themselves with condoms during sexual encoun-
ters. In order to appreciate these disparities, and subse-
quently prevent HIV and other STDs, an understanding of
the sexual dynamics between men and women that create
obstacles to condom use is required. Along these lines, this
Sex Roles (2008) 58:689–701
DOI 10.1007/s11199-007-9381-3
S. E. Woolf (*)
:
S. A. Maisto
Department of Psychology, Syracuse University,
Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
e-mail: sewoolf@syr.edu
@Phil_Robichaud
@deepthiw
@JoseServera