Why is it that when a man sleeps around he is considered a stud, but when a woman does the same she is considered a slut? 

There has been an increase in the demands from feminists that so-called “slut-shaming” should come to an end so that men and women are viewed as equal regarding the number of sexual partners each have had, according to a column from the Huffington Post.

The mistake that people make when calling for an end to slut-shaming, well-intentioned as the crusade may be, is that they don’t realize that the double standard is deeply rooted in our society and will not go anywhere anytime soon.

According to a study by Derek Kreager and Jeremy Staff from Penn State University on the subject of the sexual double standard, “results suggest that the association between lifetime sexual partnerships and peer status varies significantly by gender, such that greater numbers of sexual partners are positively correlated with boys’ peer acceptance, but negatively correlated with girls’ peer acceptance.”

While studies are able to identify the actual existence of the double standard, they fail to explain why it exists. However, at the end of the day, when culture is considered its perpetuation makes perfect sense.

The discrepancy that people claim to exist concerning gender and sex is hardly a double standard, but rather an indication that men women are valued in different aspects.

Humor me and follow my logic. It is obviously clear that men have to work for sex.  Men are the ones who feel the need to demonstrate inherent value and status and who are expected to take the steps to ‘make it happen.’  Thus, a man who has bedded multiple women is respected for his prowess and perceived value.  Moreover, it appears to me at least that women find success sexy, and therefore men who have already been successful with women are that much more attractive. Thus, the double standard is perpetuated.

On the other hand, women have an easier time finding sex.  Young women have more sexual partners than men, according to The Telegraph. The article states that one in four young women has slept with more than 10 people, compared with one in five men who had done the same. Women can have access to sex, seemingly at the drop of a hat, which to me requires virtually no effort on their part.  This may be why women with a high partner count are looked down upon; it’s just too easy.

If men and women really were equal, this difference in valuation of genders would not exist, but in reality men and women are fundamentally different and are valued for different aspects and different reasons. 

No seminar or lecture is ever going to change the double standard.  Whether it’s evolution, culture or just plain perception, this is the way it is.

-Mitch Strang is a senior finance major from Bellevue. He can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this Column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.