Women’s Endorsement of Heteronormative Dating Scripts is Predicted by Sexism, Feminist Identity, A Preference for Dominant Men, and A Preference Against Short-Term Relationships

Heteronormative dating scripts involve expectations for women and men to enact different behaviours in romantic contexts with one another, such as men paying on dates and making marriage proposals. While previous research has shown that sexism and feminist identity predicts the endorsement of these scripts, there is a lack of research on other potential predictors relevant to women’s personal preferences for partners and relationships. We examined these novel predictors in three online samples of single women in Australia (N₁ = 112, N₂ = 157, N₃ = 189). Hierarchical regressions and an integrative meta-analysis identified that women’s endorsement of heteronormative dating scripts was predicted by higher benevolent sexism, higher hostile sexism, and lower feminist identity, as well as a greater preference for dominant men as partners and a lower preference for short-term relationships. In addition, path modelling suggested that a greater preference for male partner dominance partially explained the association between women’s benevolent sexism and the endorsement of these scripts. Overall, women’s endorsement of heteronormative dating scripts was more strongly related to their sexist attitudes than their partner or relationship preferences, suggesting that traditional romantic prescriptions are interconnected with gender inequalities, despite the relevance of personal preferences beyond sexism.