Breaking the Script: How Gender, Heteronormativity, and Power Relate to Sexual Assertiveness
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
Published online on May 08, 2026
Abstract
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Ahead of Print.
Sexual assertiveness—the tendency to take initiative and act independently regarding one’s own sexual desires and behavior—is shaped by gendered expectations that portray men as sexually assertive and women as submissive (i.e., traditional sexual script). ...
Sexual assertiveness—the tendency to take initiative and act independently regarding one’s own sexual desires and behavior—is shaped by gendered expectations that portray men as sexually assertive and women as submissive (i.e., traditional sexual script). ...