Whether you think former Rep. Anthony Weiner was brought down by a "digital mob" or by his own arrogance and stupidity, there's one thing for sure: the man sent out a lot of gross sexts. But a new study finds that he's slightly in the minority when it comes to the battle of the sexting sexes: women are more likely to sext than men are. Or, to be more accurate, women looking to cheat who filled out a survey on AshleyMadison.com are more willing to admit that they sext than men on that site who are also looking to cheat.
The study by Diane Kholos Wysocki, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Cheryl D. Childers, a professor of sociology at Washburn University, found that two-thirds of women surveyed said they had sent sexts compared to roughly half the men. Wysocki, who has been researching sex and the Internet since 1992, makes it clear that she doesn't think the Internet is causing people to cheat: “Cheating is alive and well, and sexting is on the rise...There seems to be something going on with marriage that’s the bigger social issue. Before, people would just get a divorce. For some reason, people are staying and cheating instead.”
Except that her latest study is based off of a limited online survey of just over 5,000 adult visitors to AshleyMadison.com, the “infidelity” website for married people who want to cut to the chase. The Times admits in their piece that surveying users of "a Web site for swingers does not compare to taking a nationally representative poll or conducting a community study." And yet, every article on the web is emblazoned with definitive headlines such as: "Sexting Study: Women More Likely To Sext Than Men: Report," "'Let my fingers do the talking': Flirty women bigger sexters then men" and "Study: Women bigger sexters than men."
So it's just good old internet hyperbole running with a zeitgeisty story (and who among us haven't indulged in that before). But as Jezebel points out, despite the hollowness of the grabby titles, the study does reveal some interesting conclusions—namely that it seems as if ladies are generally less embarrassed about their cheating habits, including sexting, then men. All we know is, if you're thinking of getting your sexting on, you better consult with the official Fox News Sexting Handbook right away.
