Female Top, Male Bottom
Gendered Power Dynamics in Sexual and Romantic Relationships within “Fourth Love” Community in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6457532 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wei Bai (0000-0002-4456-4532, Southwest University), Haihan Wang (Southwest University), Lijun Zheng (0000-0001-9905-9093, Southwest University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1322-1331 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Sex Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-4499 • E-ISSN: 1559-8519 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00224499.2025.2503893 |
| PMID | 40424098 |
| OpenAlex | W4410840787 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 26 |
In China, "fourth love" is a term to describe a particular form of intimacy. In a narrow sense, it describes a sexual act in which a woman uses a strap-on dildo to penetrate a man's anus, an act known as pegging. The purpose of this study was to examine whether power dynamics exist not only in sexual relationships but also in romantic relationships within the fourth love community. The research sample comprised 529 individuals in the fourth love group (197 males and 332 females) and 337 individuals in the non-fourth love group (150 males and 187 females). The study revealed that the core elements of perceived fourth love criteria - including pegging, romantic relationship, female dominance, and heterosexual identity - were strongly supported by the fourth love group. Notably, the aspect of romantic relationships received the highest level of agreement. Fourth love relationships exhibited a female-dominated model of sexual and romantic interactions. Specifically, women reported a substantial increase in power perception (d = 1.94, p < .001), whereas men tended to attribute greater power to their partners during sexual behaviors (d = 2.56, p < .001). Women significantly assumed more dominant and controlling roles (d = 0.57, p < .001), while men demonstrated greater dependence within romantic relationships (d = 1.72, p < .001). This study reveals fourth love as a unique pattern of intimacy, with women assuming a dominant role in both sexual and romantic interactions. This pattern challenges traditional gender roles and offers new perspectives on understanding gender, power, and intimacy
Archaeology · China · Dynamics (music · Geography · Physics · Power (physics · Psychoanalysis · Romance · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology
Feminism in Transition
Application of the Theory of Gender and Power to Examine HIV-Related Exposures, Risk Factors, and Effective Interventions for Women
The Pressures on Leftover Women and Men under the Chinese Patriarchal System
The Gendered Nature of Sexual Scripts
Sexual Minorities within Heterosexuality
Women’s Revenge in Sexual Behavior? An Interpretation About “The Fourth Love” in Chinese Youth Culture From the Perspective of Gender Performativity
Pleasure, power, and pain
Gender, power and intimate relationships over the life course among Ethiopian female peer educators living with HIV
A certain evolution’
Troubling Anal Sex
The Ball was Always in His Court”
Can a Gender Equity and Family Planning Intervention for Men Change Their Gender Ideology? Results from the CHARM Intervention in Rural India
Queer Intimacies
Eroticizing Inequality in the United States
The distinctiveness of sexual motives in relation to sexual desire and desirable partner attributes
Individual differences in the experience of sexual motivation
Sexual scripts
The Influence of Power and Intimacy Sexual Motives on Sexual Position Preference Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China
It’s Absolutely Intense, and I Love It!” A Qualitative Investigation of “Pegging” as Leisure
Gender differences in sexuality
Negotiating Courtship
Rethinking Family Patriarchy and Women's Positions in Presocialist China
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |