Gender Roles and Sexual Behavior Among Young Women 1 Jayne C. Lucke 2 University of Huddersfield This study investigates the hypothesis that ‘ non-traditional ’ gender role attitudes and ‘ masculine ’ gender role traits or dating behaviors are associated with unsafe sexual behaviors such as having a high number of sexual partners‚ the non-use of condoms and the use of alcohol or drugs before or during intercourse. A self-report survey was completed by 400 sexually active Australian women aged between 16 and 24 who attended two metropolitan Family Planning clinics in Queensland ‚ Australia. The findings show partial support for the hypothesis. Women with a higher level of ‘ masculine ’ personality traits and egalitarian gender role attitudes were more likely to have multiple partners and to use alcohol or drugs with their most recent non-steady partner. The multivariate relationships between gender roles and sexual behaviors are not as extensive as would be proposed by gender role theory and previous research. Expectations about appropriate gender role characteristics and sexual be- havior have evolve d markedly during the last several decades. This has been particularly true for women. Tightly constrained and rigidly prescribed gen- der roles have given way to recognition of wide individual variation in gen- der role characteristics. The range of sexual behavior acceptable for women has also widened considerably and the sexual ‘ double standard ’ is now a Sex Roles‚ Vol. 39‚ Nos. 3/4‚ 1998 273 0360-0025/98/0800-027 3$15.00/0 Ó 1998 Plenum Publishing Corporation 1 This research was supported by the National Centre for HIV Social Research ‚ Queensland‚ Australia‚ and Family Planning Queensland. Grateful thanks to Professor Beverley Raphael‚ Professor Mary Sheehan ‚ and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft of this article. 2 To whom correspondence should be addressed at School of Human and Health Sciences ‚ University of Huddersfield‚ Huddersfield HD1 3DH‚ United Kingdom; e-mail: J.C.Lucke@hud.ac.uk