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2 corrections found
If you have mutual friends, then it is not casual sex.
Sharing a social circle does not disqualify sex from being "casual." In research literature, casual sex is defined by lack of commitment or romantic expectation, not by whether the people know each other or have mutual friends.
Full reasoning
Peer-reviewed definitions of casual sexual relationships do not say they stop being casual when the people share friends or otherwise know each other.
One review in Sex Cultures defines casual sexual relationships as non-committed sexual relationships that are "devoid of expectations of romantic attachment, regardless of how well participants know each other or of the duration of the relationship." That directly contradicts the claim that having mutual friends means it is "not casual sex."
A second peer-reviewed study on young women's partner types likewise notes that casual partners vary in familiarity, and that most people with a casual sex partner had known that partner for months and had sex with the same partner multiple times. It also explicitly lists ongoing partner types such as "friends with benefits" as casual/uncommitted relationships.
So the relevant distinction in the literature is commitment/romantic expectation, not whether two people are embedded in the same friend group.
2 sources
- Clear-Cut Terms and Culture-Sensitive Characteristics of Distinctive Casual Sexual Relationships in Portuguese Emerging Adults
"Casual sexual relationships" are usually considered non-committed sexual relationships ... devoid of expectations of romantic attachment, regardless of how well participants know each other or of the duration of the relationship.
- Partner Type and Young Women's Sexual Behavior: A Qualitative Inquiry
Many young people report having a "casual" sexual partner ... these partners vary in terms of the frequency of contact ... and degree of familiarity with each other. Although a minority ... had just met the sexual partner, most have known their casual sex partner for months and engaged in sexual intercourse with that same partner on multiple occasions.
There's definitely an expectation of relationship by the woman
Research does not support a universal rule that women in casual sex situations are expecting a relationship. Studies find women report varied motives, including sexual desire and physical gratification, and only some say they hope it will become a committed relationship.
Full reasoning
The word "definitely" makes this claim too absolute for what the evidence shows.
Peer-reviewed research on hookups/casual sex finds that women participate for multiple different reasons, not just because they expect a relationship. A review in Review of General Psychology states that hookups often happen without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship.
A separate study of first-year college women found that the vast majority reported sexual desire or physical gratification as a motivation for hooking up, while only 51%–65% reported wanting a hookup to lead to a committed relationship. In other words, many women who hook up do not report an expectation that it will become a relationship.
That does not mean no women ever hope for a relationship afterward; it means the blanket claim that women "definitely" expect one is contradicted by the empirical literature.
2 sources
- Sexual Hookup Culture: A Review
"Hookups," or uncommitted sexual encounters ... often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship.
- FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE WOMEN'S MOTIVATIONS FOR HOOKING UP
The vast majority of college women are motivated to hook up for sexual desire or physical gratification ... A majority (51%-65%) of college women report desires that a hookup will lead to a committed relationship ...