Comparison of Men's and Women's Attempts to Dissuade Sexual Partners From the Couple Using Condoms

Undergraduate students were asked about their use of condoms and their attempts to dissuade sexual partners from the couple using condoms during sexual intercourse. Nearly 14% of women and nearly 17% of men who had engaged in sexual intercourse admitted to having actively tried to dissuade a partner from the couple using condoms. Thirty percent of the men and 41% of the women said that a sexual partner had tried to dissuade them. Attempts to dissuade partners from the couple using condoms were most common among students who reported having 10 or more lifetime sexual partners. For both men and women, the most frequently employed categories of verbal strategies were (1) sex feels better without a condom, (2) will not get pregnant, and (3) will not get a sexually transmitted disease. These three categories accounted for about three-fourths of the lines used. Avoidance of condoms because of a perceived decrease in physical pleasure poses a particular problem for sex and health educators.