Does the alarming culture of casual sex among today's youth really empower women as feminists claim, or does it have a negative impact on their emotions?
A recent study conducted by no less than a self-confessed feminist revealed that this so-called "casual hookup" culture does not make women feel good but leave them emotionally empty instead.
In her senior year thesis at the Middleburry College in Vermont in the U.S., feminist Leah Fessler decided to explore the non-committal "pseudo-relationships" that today's youth are entering into.
She defined this kind of relationship as "the mutant children of meaningless sex and loving partnerships."
"Two students consistently hook up with one another – and typically, only each other – for weeks, months, even years," Fessler explained in an article she wrote for Quartz.
"Yet per unspoken social code, neither party is permitted emotional involvement, commitment, or vulnerability. To call them exclusive would be 'clingy,' or even 'crazy'," she continued.
As part of her research, Fessler interviewed 75 male and female students and conducted more than 300 online surveys. After gathering data, she saw a very notable trend among female respondents: they all want committed relationships.
The researcher also found out that "pseudo-relationships" take their toll on women's emotions.
"The women I interviewed were eager to build connections, intimacy and trust with their sexual partners. Instead, almost all of them found themselves going along with hookups that induced overwhelming self-doubt, emotional instability and loneliness," Fessler said.
Even the male respondents mostly expressed preference for stable relationships, but admitted that they engage in casual sex partly due to peer pressure.
In conclusion, Fessler said casual hookups ultimately do not contribute to feminism.
"The truth is that, for many women, there's nothing liberating about emotionless, non-committal sex. The young women I spoke with were taking part in hookup culture because they thought that was what guys wanted, or because they hoped a casual encounter would be a stepping stone to commitment," the researcher said.
"In doing this, we actually deny ourselves agency and bolster male dominance, all while convincing ourselves we're acting like progressive feminists. But engaging in hookup culture while wholeheartedly craving love and stability was perhaps the least feminist action I, and hundreds of my peers, could take," she said.
