The Future Of The Sexual Marketplace - Roy Baumeister

Because male traits are more variable and more exposed to selection (e.g., via the Y chromosome and reproductive skew), and because men are the "demand" competing for women's "supply" of sex, male behavior, status-seeking, and even higher sex drive have been molded by what women historically rewarded.

When men are abundant and women are scarce, men must offer commitment, fidelity, and resources to access sex; when women are abundant (e.g., modern universities), the effective “price” of sex drops, long-term commitment becomes harder to secure, and norms become more permissive.

Survey data suggest a Pareto-like pattern where a small minority of highly attractive individuals, and particularly men, have a disproportionate share of sexual encounters, while many others—especially young, average men—have little or none, despite media narratives of universal casual sex.

Baumeister argues male sexuality is more driven by biology and relatively stable, while female desire is more shaped by culture, education, religion, and life stage—women’s practices, partners, and even orientation experimentation shift more across time and context.

Although casual hookups can be exciting, data show higher reported sexual satisfaction and female orgasm rates with ongoing partners, supporting the idea that familiarity, communication, and skill with a specific partner matter more for quality than mere partner count.