The Effects of Self-esteem, Traditional Gender Roles, and Gender on Reward, Intimacy, and Enhancement as Motivations for Sexual Relations

Motivations for sexual relations between partners can be affected by personal and social factors (e.g., culture). These motivations can be distinct according to individuals’ perspectives (as inner needs to be fulfilled, or a resource to gain benefits). To examine the effects of self-esteem, sex roles and gender on motivations for sexual relations and to identify and examine a perception of sex as positioned on a spectrum from an instrumental means to achieve some other goal to a goal in and of itself. The survey was accessible through Qualtrics, an online data collection system. Participants were recruited via social media and completed questionnaires on self-esteem, Patriarchal Beliefs Scale and sexual motivations. The study model was assessed using structural equation modeling. Self-esteem was positively associated with intimacy and enhancement motivations and negatively associated with sex as a reward motivation. Traditional sex roles were positively associated with sex as a reward and intimacy motivations. In addition, women engaged in sex as a reward more than men while men engage in sexual intercourse for enhancement more than women. Men also were more likely to have traditional sex role perceptions than women. Breaking down sexual motives into purpose and focus allows for a more nuanced understanding of the motivations behind sexual behavior. By isolating specific characteristics that form sexual motives examining the correlation between different motives, researchers can gain a better understanding of the interplay between sexual motives and its impact on sexual behavior. Furthermore, this conceptualization opens up new avenues for analysis, allowing researchers to examine the specific characteristics of each motive.