Drunk girls more promiscuous? Perception not always reality

Teens' perceptions of adolescent girls' flirtatiousness is based on what girls — as well as what their romantic male partners — are drinking, according to a new University study.

U-M researchers explore the commonly held myth that women who excessively drink alcohol are promiscuous, aggressive and unreliable. Previous research has documented that men and women commonly believe in this misconception, despite the findings indicating that women's sexual interest is diminished by alcohol.

"We know that such myths contribute to the high rate of sexual assault among women because they lead to misperceptions about women's true intentions," says Amy Young, lead author and assistant research scientist at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG). "We thought it was important to determine whether adolescents hold these beliefs, too, given that adolescent girls have the highest rate of sexual assault."

Young collaborated on the paper with Sean McCabe, a research associate professor at the Substance Abuse Center, and IRWG Director Carol Boyd, a professor of nursing and women studies.

The study surveyed 1,463 students in grades 6-11 in an urban public school district. The researchers suggest that sexual myths about women who drink stem from a longstanding notion that a woman's responsibility is to uphold the morality of society and sacrifice her needs for her family — and alcohol consumption interferes with these responsibilities.

Prevention efforts should target youth, such as teaching them how to critically view media images, Young says.

The findings appear in the September issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly.

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