Gendered sexual scripts reflect the culture’s expectations for how women and men interact in courtship and romantic relationships. These expectations prioritize passivity and appearance for young women and assertiveness and emotional detachment for young men. Mainstream media are prominent forces contributing to these scripts, and significant evidence indicates that heavier media exposure is associated with greater acceptance of these expectations among U.S. youths. However, endorsing these scripts has significant implications for young people’s well-being, both as individuals and in their relationships. Stronger endorsement is linked to greater psychological distress, diminished sexual agency, and more dysfunctional beliefs about relationships. Additional concerns have emerged for African American youths, who must also negotiate culturally specific racialized gender stereotypes. Future research should expand to include new media platforms, more diverse populations, and potential positive scripts.

性别性脚本反映了文化对男女在求爱和浪漫关系中如何互动的期望。这些期望优先考虑年轻女性的被动和外表，以及年轻男性的自信和情感超然。主流媒体是促成这些剧本的重要力量，并且大量证据表明，更多的媒体曝光与美国年轻人对这些期望的接受程度更高有关。然而，认可这些剧本对年轻人的福祉有重大影响，无论是作为个人还是在他们的人际关系中。更强的认可与更大的心理困扰、性能力减弱以及对关系的更多功能失调的信念有关。非裔美国青年也出现了其他担忧，他们还必须协商特定文化的种族化性别刻板印象。未来的研究应该扩大到包括新的媒体平台、更多样化的人群和潜在的积极剧本。