Sexual Stereotypes and Practices of University Students in Turkey

This article is based on a study of young people and sexuality in Turkey. The focus of this study included messages about
sexuality, sexual beliefs, sexual experiences with a view to consent and resistance, religiosity, and certain interrelations
therein. A total of 471 students (273 women, M age = 20.5 years, and 198 men, M age = 21 years) from four different universities
in Turkey participated in a survey with measures of restrictive and permissive messages about sexuality received from various
sources, beliefs about sexual roles of men and women in relationships, and questions about a range of sexual experiences,
including coital and non-coital. The incidence and characteristics of ideal sexual partnership and incidence and dynamics
of experiences involving “token resistance” and “consent to unwanted sex” were specifically investigated. The results provided
a snapshot of the sexual lives of students in this country at the crossroads of secularism and traditional Muslim mores. Both
commonalities and differences were found across gender. Both men and women received more restrictive than permissive messages.
The most important message source was same-sex friends for men and parents for women. Men had more dating and sexual partners
than women. The correlations of religiosity and messages with sexual experiences and attitudes were mostly in the expected
direction. Women were more likely to have a token resistance incidence and both genders were equally unlikely to consent to
unwanted sex. The results were discussed in relation to the cultural context and the relevant literature, and recommendations
are offered for future research.