Abstract
This study examined the impact of the Interneton personal and sexual safety for women meeting men through online ads. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected with an online survey. Of the 740 women who completed the survey, 568 reported having met in person with a man who answered their online personal ad. Results revealed that women used e-mail communication prior to a face-to-face meeting to negotiate such issues as safety, boundaries, sexual preferences, history of sexually transmitted infections, and condom use. Thirty percent of respondents engaged in sexual activity on their first encounter. Seventy-seven percent of respondents who met an online partner did not use condoms for their first sexual encounter. The high frequency and intensity of e-mail communication prior to meeting in person cultivated acceleration of intimacy for the individuals involved and may have affected women’s decisions to engage in risky sexual behaviors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bull, S., & McFarlane, M. (2000). Soliciting sex on the Internet: What are the risks for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV? Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 27, 545–550.
Cooper, A., Månsson, S., Daneback, K., Tikkanen, R., & Ross, M. W. (2003). Predicting the future of Internet sex: Online sexual activities in Sweden. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 18, 277–290.
Cooper, A., & Sportolari, L. (1997). Romance in cyberspace: Understanding online attraction. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 22, 7–14.
Ehrhardt, A. A. (2000). Gender, sexuality, and human development. In J. Bancroft (Eds.), The role of theory in sex research (pp. 3–15). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Gagnon, J. H., & Simon, W. (1973). Sexual conduct: The sources of human sexuality. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company.
Kachur, R. E., McFarlane, M., Bull, S., & Rietmeijer, C. (2002). Can the Internet facilitate women’s risk for chlamydial infection? In J. Schachter, G. Christiansen, I. N. Clarke, M. R. Hannerschlang, B. Kaltenboeck, C. C. Kuo, et al. (Eds.), Chlamydial infections: Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections (pp. 209–212). San Francisco: International Chlamydial Symposium.
Krahe, B. (2000). Sexual scripts and heterosexual aggression. In T. Eckes & H. M. Trautner (Eds.), The developmental social psychology of gender (pp. 273–292). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Leiblum, S. R. (2001). Women, sex, and the Internet. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 16, 389–405.
McFarlane, M., Bull, S. S., & Rietmeijer, C. A. (2002). Young adults on the Internet: Risk behaviors for sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 11–16.
McFarlane, M., Kachur, R., Bull S., & Rietmeijer C. (2004). Women, the Internet, and sexually transmitted infections. Journal of Women’s Health, 13, 689–694.
McFarlane, M., Kachur, R., Klausner, J., Roland, E., & Cohen, M. (2005). Internet-based health promotion and disease control in the 8 cities: Successes, barriers, and future plans. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 32, S60-S64.
McGerty, L. J. (2000). Nobody lives only in cyberspace: Gendered subjectives and domestic use of the Internet. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3, 895–899.
Morahan-Martin, J. (2000). Women and the Internet: Promise and perils. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3, 683–691.
Parks, M. R., & Roberts, L. D. (1998). Making MOOsic: The development of personal relationships online and a comparison to their off-line counterparts. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 517–537.
Rietmeijer, C. A., Bull, S. S., & McFarlane, M. (2001). Sex and the Internet. AIDS, 15, 1433–1434.
Ross, M. W. (2005). Typing, doing, and being: Sexuality and the Internet. Journal of Sex Research, 42, 342–352.
Ross, M. W., Tikkanen, R., & Månsson, S. (2000). Differences between Internet samples and conventional samples of men who have sex with men: Implications for research and HIV interventions. Social Science and Medicine, 51, 749–758.
Schneider, J. P. (2000). A qualitative study of cybersex participants: Gender differences, recovery issues, and implications for therapists. Sex Addiction Compulsivity, 7, 249–278.
Tikkanen, R., & Ross, M. (2000). Looking for sexual compatibility: Experiences among Swedish men in visiting Internet gay chat rooms. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3, 605–616.
Turner, C. F., Ku, L., Rogers, S. M., Lindburg, L. D., Pleck, J. H., & Sonestein, F. L. (2001). Adolescent sexual behavior, drug use, and violence: Increased reporting with computer survey technology. Science, 280, 867–873.
Williams, M. L., Bowen, A. M., Elwood, W. N., McCoy, C. C., McCoy, H. V., Freeman, R. C., et al. (2000). Determinants of condom use among African Americans who smoke crack cocaine. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 2, 15–32.
Wysocki, D. K. (1998). Let your fingers do the talking: Sex on an adult chat-line. Sexualities, 1, 425–452.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Padgett, P.M. Personal safety and sexual safety for women using online personal ads. Sex Res Soc Policy 4, 27–37 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2007.4.2.27
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2007.4.2.27