The influence of sex and sex role on the dating attitudes and behavior of Australian youth.

The present study was designed to assess the dating attitudes and behaviors of Australian adolescents. The psychosexual and psychoaffectional orientations to dating are considered. The influence of a number of variables was assessed: the stage of dating, biological sex, and sex role of respondents. Subjects were drawn from varied backgrouds to represent the general population. The affectional attitudes and behavior of respondents were influenced by the stage of dating, the sex role, and to a lesser extent, the biological sex. Sex-types individuals were more restricted in their experiences than androgynous respondents until the committed levels of a relationship. The psychosexual and psychoaffectional orientations to dating appear to operate independently allowing both sexes to experience either sexual and affectional behaviors during dating. When assessing dating patterns it appears useful to consider both the sex and sex role of the respondents, as well as their sexual and affectional orientations to dating. Our data suggest that this results in a more valid picture of dating patterns.