“Having Sex” as a Graded and Hierarchical Construct: A Comparison of Sexual Definitions among Heterosexual and Lesbian Emerging Adults in the U.K.

Research into definitions of “having sex” has tended to employ a dichotomous response design (following Sanders & Reinisch, 1999 Sanders , S. A. , & Reinisch , J. M. ( 1999 ). Would you say you “had sex” if …? Journal of the American Medical Association , 281 , 275 – 277 . doi: 10.1001/jama.281.3.275 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). However, conceptions of sexual activity may be far less clear-cut (c.f. Faulkner, 2003 Faulkner , S. A. ( 2003 ). Good girl or flirt girl: Latinas’ definitions of sex and sexual relationships . Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences , 25 , 174 – 200 . doi: 10.1177/0739986303025002003 [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Peterson & Muehlenhard, 2007 Peterson , Z. D. , & Muehlenhard , C. L. ( 2007 ). What is sex and why does it matter? A motivational approach to exploring individuals’ definitions of sex . Journal of Sex Research , 44 , 256 – 268 . doi: 10.1207/s15598519jsr4401_8 [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). More refinement is also needed regarding the impact of sexual orientation on the construction of what counts as sex. This research employed a continuous response design, asking 124 emerging adults (40 male heterosexuals, 42 female heterosexuals, & 42 lesbians) to judge 13 sexual acts using a graded, six-point scale. Overall, there was substantial agreement that intercourse (vaginal and anal) was “definitely,” and kissing “definitely not,” sex. However, across the various acts, participants also consistently made use of options between these extremes, such that a clear hierarchy of sexual behaviors emerged. The lesbian group considered a range of forms of genital stimulation to be significantly more constitutive of sex than either heterosexual group, while judgments by male and female heterosexuals did not significantly differ for any listed act. The implications of graded definitions of sex, a hierarchy of sexual behaviors, and the role of sexual behaviors in hetero- and homosexual identity management are explored.