A comparative study of the couple in the social organization of sexuality in France and the United States

This study presents the results of a comparative analysis of two national surveys of sexual behavior of adults ages 18 to 59 living in France and in the United States. While persons living in a couple in the two countries are quite similar, controlling for gender age, and relationship status points to a number of important differences among those who are not living in a couple. Among these individuals, the French are more likely to be monogamous than persons living in the U.S. Gender differences are more marked in the U.S. them in France, especially among older U.S. women who are more likely than U.S. men and French men and women to report no sexual partners. These findings suggest that the model and the influence of the committed couple, whether cohabiting or not, is more widespread in France than on the U.S.