Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire

Abstract

The Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire (WNSQ) is a 40-item, self-report measure designed to broadly investigate women’s sexual behaviors and attitudes that deviate from traditional sexual norms. The scale focuses on forms of sexuality typically prohibited by traditional standards, such as recreational sex, the use of sex as a means to achieve a non-sexual end, and involvement in commercial sex (paying for or receiving payment for a sexual experience). The WNSQ is divided into three sections: six preliminary demographic and relationship questions, 26 items assessing the frequency of nontraditional sexual behaviors, and eight statements evaluating attitudes toward nontraditional sexuality.

Keywords

Nontraditional sexuality, women’s sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, casual sex, commercial sex, self-report measure, psychometrics, Sociosexual Orientation Index, Femininity Ideology Scale.

Authors

Ronald F. Levant, K. Bryant Smalley, Thomas J. Rankin, Alexander Colbow, Kristin David, Christine M. Williams.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the WNSQ is to provide a comprehensive and quantitative instrument for assessing the breadth of women’s involvement in and attitudes toward sexual behaviors that fall outside the confines of the traditional sexual script. This traditional script typically mandates that sexual activity must occur only within a committed relationship and serve as an expression of love.

By including items related to recreational sex, instrumentality (using sex for gain), and commercial involvement, the WNSQ aims to capture a more holistic view of modern female sexuality beyond conventional measures that often focus narrowly on sociosexuality or relationship commitment.

Construct

The WNSQ measures the construct of Nontraditional Sexuality in Women, which encompasses both behaviors and attitudes that challenge restrictive societal norms regarding female sexual expression. The scale is theoretically structured around five subscales:

• Degree of Sexual Interest: Measures general sexual desire and activity.
• Casual Sex: Assesses engagement in non-committed sexual activity (e.g., one-night stands, sex outside exclusive relationships).
• Involvement in Commercial Sex: Measures behaviors related to the exchange of money or goods for sex, as well as consumption of related media (e.g., pornography, strip clubs).
• Sex as a Means to an End: Measures the instrumental use of sex to gain personal benefits, resolve conflict, or maintain a relationship.
• Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex: Assesses agreement with statements challenging traditional beliefs regarding sexual timing, purpose, and required emotional context.

Validity

Convergent construct validity for the WNSQ total score was strongly supported through correlations with established measures of sexuality and gender ideology. The total scale score demonstrated a moderate-to-large positive correlation (r = .72, p < .01) with the Sociosexual Orientation Index (SOI). The SOI measures an individual’s willingness to engage in sex without relationship commitment, aligning conceptually with the WNSQ’s focus on non-traditional behaviors.

The Casual Sex subscale showed the highest correlation with the SOI (r = .73, p < .01), while the other subscales ranged from r = .28 to .57 (p < .01). Furthermore, convergent construct validity was confirmed by a moderate negative correlation (r = −.44, p < .01) between the WNSQ total score and the Purity subscale of the Femininity Ideology Scale (FIS), which measures adherence to traditional feminine sexual norms. This negative relationship indicates that higher scores on nontraditional sexuality correspond appropriately with lower endorsement of traditional sexual purity standards.

Reliability

The overall reliability for the WNSQ total scale was rated as excellent, achieving a Cronbach’s alpha of .88. Four of the five theorized subscales exhibited good reliability scores:

• Degree of Sexual Interest: α = .80
• Casual Sex: α = .84
• Sex as a Means to an End: α = .72
• Commercial Sex: α = .80

However, the fifth theorized subscale, Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex, displayed poor reliability (α = .22), suggesting that its items did not cohere adequately as a single measurable dimension in the initial sample.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the underlying structure of the WNSQ. The results suggested an optimal four-factor solution, rather than the five theorized subscales. Three of these four empirically derived factors corresponded closely to the initial conceptualizations: Degree of Sexual Interest, Casual Sex, and Sex as a Means to an End.

The analysis indicated that the items intended for the Commercial Sex subscale only retained items related to Self-Pleasuring as a stable factor. Crucially, the fifth theorized subscale, Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex, did not emerge as a stable factor, corroborating its low internal consistency demonstrated by the low Cronbach’s alpha. Collectively, the four confirmed factors accounted for 33.5% of the total variance in the scale.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire / Psychological Scale

Format: 40 items total (6 preliminary items, 26 behavioral frequency items, 8 attitude items). Primarily administered online, adaptable to paper-and-pencil format.

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Adult Women

Age Group: Primarily College-Aged (18 to 49 years old in the validation sample)

Population Details: Validation sample consisted of 243 college-aged women from a large midwestern university (Average age: ~21). The sample was predominantly White/European American (85%).

Test Methodology: Online administration using commercial survey platforms, with responses automatically logged and imported into statistical software (e.g., SPSS) for analysis. Completion time ranges from 15 to 30 minutes. Items 7–32 use a 7-point frequency scale (1=Never, 7=Frequently). Items 33–40 use a 7-point Likert agreement scale (1=Strongly Disagree, 7=Strongly Agree). Items 36, 38, 39, and 40 are reverse scored for calculation.

Keywords

Female sexuality, sexual behavior inventory, sexual norms, sociosexuality, relationship status, psychometric instrument, factor structure.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content (Only correspondence email for Ronald Levant provided).

Correspondence Address: Ronald Levant, Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1901; e-mail: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: The scale was developed and its psychometric properties were assessed prior to 2009 (based on manuscript submission date).

Permissions and Fee: Information regarding permissions for use or associated fees is not provided in the source material. Contact the corresponding author, Ronald Levant, for details on usage rights.

Reference’s

Levant, R. F., Rankin, T. J., Hall, R. J., Smalley, K. B., & Williams, C. M. (2009). The development and assessment of a scale to measure nontraditional sexuality in women. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Levant, R. F., Richmond, K., Cook, S., House, A., & Aupont, M. (2007). The Femininity Ideology Scale: Factor structure, reliability, validity, and social contextual variation. Sex Roles, 57, 373–383.

Simpson, J. A., & Gangestad, S. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 870–883.

Items of the Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire

The following items constitute the Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire (WNSQ), presented here as the Sexual Practices and Attitudes Survey. Items 1–6 are preliminary categorical questions, followed by behavioral and attitudinal questions utilizing a 7-point scale.

Please circle the response that best describes yourself.

1. Relationship Status:

   • Married/Partnered/Engaged
   • Single: Casual, non-exclusive dating
   • Single: Dating one person with the expectation of exclusivity
   • Single: Not currently dating anyone
   • Divorced/Separated
   • Widowed

   For the following questions, please consider the term “sex” to refer to any form of intimate physical contact involving more than kissing between you and another person (opposite or same sex).

2. Have you ever had sex (based on the above definition)?

   • Yes
   • No

3. Are you currently sexually active (based on the above definition)?

   • Yes
   • No

4. Are you currently involved in a sexual relationship in which you and your partner have agreed not to have sex (based on the above definition) with other people?

   • Yes
   • No

5. Are you currently or have you recently been sexually active (based on the above definition) with someone who is not your exclusive sexual partner (e.g., one-night stand; having sex with two or more people in a short time period; or casual sexual activity)?

   • Yes
   • No

6. Whether or not you are sexually active, would your preferred sexual partner be:

   • Always male
   • Usually male, but sometimes female
   • Equally likely to be either
   • Usually female, but sometimes male
   • Always female

For the following questions, please provide your answer using the 7-point scale provided (1=Never, 7=Frequently). Check the circle that best describes where you fall between those two extremes. Please remember that the definition of sex is any form of intimate physical contact involving more than kissing between you and another person (opposite or same sex).

7. Given the chance, how often would you choose to have sex?
8. How often have you had sex to end a fight?
9. How often do you go somewhere (e.g., bar, social event) to find someone to have sex with?
10. How often would you have anonymous sex with someone you are very attracted to if you are/were single?
11. How often do you masturbate?
12. How often do you use sex toys alone?
13. How often have you been paid for sex?
14. How often do you fantasize about having sex with someone other than your current partner?
15. How often have you had sex to keep your partner in the relationship?
16. How often have you had sex to help get a promotion or some other benefit at work or school?
17. How often do you cheat sexually on a partner?
18. How often do you purchase sex toys?
19. How often do you pay for sex?
20. How often do you talk to your friends about your sexual experiences?
21. How often do you say what you want or need during sex?
22. How often do you have sex outside of an exclusive relationship?
23. How often would you have anonymous sex with someone you were very attracted to if you were in a relationship and knew for sure that your partner would not find out?
24. How often do you buy an X-rated video?
25. How often do you go to a strip club?
26. How often do you use sex to get something you want?
27. How often do you fantasize about having sex with your current partner?
28. Do you ever have sex with a friend with whom you are not interested in dating (so-called “friends with benefits”)?
29. How often do you have sex with someone you just met?
30. How often have you had sex to get someone to do something for you?
31. How often do you watch pornography alone?
32. How often do you have phone-sex or cyber-sex with someone you are not in a relationship with?

For the following questions, please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements. Keep in mind that the definition of sex is any form of intimate physical contact involving more than kissing between you and another person (opposite or same sex). (1=Strongly Disagree, 7=Strongly Agree)

33. Sex should be unplanned, rather than planned ahead of time.‌
34. One should always be ready for sex.
35. Sex can be a useful tool in some situations.
36. Hugging and kissing should not always lead to sex. (R)
37. I am not sexually satisfied with any behavior other than intercourse.
38. Orgasm is not a necessary part of sex for me. (R)
39. I would not use sex to get something I wanted. (R)
40. Sex should only take place between two people who are in love. (R)