Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire

Abstract

The Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire (WNSQ) is an empirical psychometric instrument designed to assess the spectrum of women’s sexual behaviors and attitudes that deviate from conventional, socially prescribed feminine sexual norms. Developed by Ronald F. Levant and colleagues, the instrument challenges historical biases in sexological research that have predominantly framed non-relational, recreational, and instrumental sexual behaviors through male-normative paradigms. Comprising 40 items organized across three distinct operational sections, the WNSQ captures nominal relational context (Items 1–6), the behavioral frequency of nontraditional sexual practices (Items 7–32), and evaluative attitudes toward non-normative sexuality (Items 33–40). The instrument operationalizes five theoretical dimensions: Degree of Sexual Interest, Casual Sex, Involvement in Commercial Sex, Sex as a Means to an End, and Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex.

Psychometric evaluation of the WNSQ in university-aged female cohorts demonstrates strong overall internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .88). Subscale reliabilities for the behavioral dimensions are robust: Degree of Sexual Interest (α = .80), Casual Sex (α = .84), Involvement in Commercial Sex (α = .80), and Sex as a Means to an End (α = .72). However, the attitudinal subscale demonstrated psychometric instability (α = .22). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor empirical structure accounting for 33.5% of the total variance, wherein items assessing commercial sex predominantly indexed solitary sexual behaviors and self-pleasuring. The WNSQ exhibits strong convergent construct validity, as evidenced by a substantial positive correlation with the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI) (r = .72, p < .01) and a significant inverse correlation with the Purity subscale of the Femininity Ideology Scale (FIS) (r = −.44, p < .01). The WNSQ serves as a critical methodology for researchers in gender studies, social psychology, and clinical sexology seeking an objective, non-pathologizing appraisal of female sexual agency.

Keywords

Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire, WNSQ, Ronald F. Levant, female sexual agency, sociosexuality, sexual double standard, casual sex, sexual scripts, gender role socialization, psychometrics.

Authors

The Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire was conceived and standardized by an interdisciplinary team of clinical and counseling psychologists specializing in gender role socialization, masculine and feminine ideologies, and human sexuality:

• Ronald F. Levant, Ed.D., ABPP: Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Akron. Former President of the American Psychological Association (APA). Contact: [email protected].
• K. Bryant Smalley, Ph.D., Psy.D.: Associate Professor and researcher affiliated with Georgia Southern University.
• Thomas J. Rankin, M.A.: Department of Psychology, The University of Akron.
• Alexander Colbow, Ph.D.: Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Boston College.
• Kristin David, Ph.D.: Affiliated researcher, Brown University.
• Christine M. Williams, M.A.: Department of Psychology, The University of Akron.

Additional developmental and psychometric assistance was provided by Korenna Barto (The University of Akron), Katherine Frank (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Chassity Angeny (Nova Southeastern University), and Katherine Richmond (Muhlenberg College).

Purpose

The fundamental purpose of the Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire (WNSQ) is to provide an empirical, systematically validated self-report instrument capable of mapping female sexual behaviors, desires, and instrumental attitudes that operate outside culturally sanctioned feminine scripts. Historically, sexology and personality psychology have operated under pervasive patriarchal assumptions regarding women’s sexuality, conceptualizing female eroticism almost exclusively within the parameters of emotional intimacy, relational commitment, reproduction, and passive responsiveness. Behaviors falling outside these boundaries—such as recreational hookups, masturbation, use of erotica, sexual assertiveness, utilitarian sexual exchanges, and participation in commercial sex—were routinely omitted from standard measurement batteries, dismissed as anomalous, or pathologized as clinical deviations.

To address this systemic psychometric void, Levant and colleagues designed the WNSQ to operationalize nontraditional sexuality in women across its diverse behavioral and cognitive manifestations. Rather than evaluating female sexual health solely via models of relational satisfaction or physiological dysfunction (such as arousal or lubrication metrics), the WNSQ recognizes and quantifies active female erotic agency. It investigates the degree to which women initiate, engage in, and rationalize sexual activity independent of traditional romantic commitment.

In clinical and research domains, the WNSQ offers significant utility:

• Deconstructing the Sexual Double Standard: The instrument facilitates empirical investigations into how women navigate cultural double standards that reward men for permissive sexual behaviors while subjecting women engaging in identical behaviors to social censure and reputational derogation.
• Investigating Gender Socialization and Well-Being: Researchers can utilize the scale to evaluate how internalizing traditional feminine ideologies—such as sexual modesty or purity—interacts with actual sexual practices, sexual guilt, body image, and psychological distress.
• Sex-Positive Clinical Assessment: In clinical sexology and couples therapy, the WNSQ provides an objective framework for assessing mismatched sexual desires, hidden behavioral repertoires (e.g., solitary porn consumption, sex toy utilization), and divergent sexual attitudes without invoking pathologizing language.
• Behavioral Epidemiological Tracking: The scale enables public health professionals to examine how engagement in casual, non-monogamous, or transactional sexual relationships correlates with health-protective behaviors, barrier contraceptive compliance, and relational communication efficacy.

Psychological Construct

The core construct assessed by the WNSQ is nontraditional female sexuality, operationalized as the endorsement of attitudes and engagement in sexual behaviors that deviate from the traditional Western cultural mandate that female sexual expression must occur exclusively within the confines of an emotionally intimate, heterosexual, monogamous, and committed romantic union. This construct is multidimensional, integrating frequency of non-normative behaviors, instrumental approaches to sexuality, and cognitive appraisals of sexual practices.

1. Degree of Sexual Interest

This dimension quantifies the absolute salience, frequency, and assertiveness of a woman’s erotic drive. Under traditional gender role mandates, high sexual desire and proactive sexual initiation are stereotyped as masculine traits, whereas women are expected to act as sexual gatekeepers who merely respond to male advances. Items within this subscale (e.g., Items 7, 11, 14, 20, 21, and 27) evaluate how frequently a woman desires intercourse, engages in solitary masturbation, communicates her sexual needs assertively during physical intimacy, shares sexual experiences with peers, and experiences sexual fantasies involving both current and non-current partners. High scores indicate high libido, comfort with self-directed pleasure, and robust sexual agency.

2. Casual Sex

The Casual Sex dimension captures engagement in uncommitted, non-exclusive, recreational sexual encounters. Traditional norms dictate that women reserve sexual intimacy for established emotional bonds. Items in this subscale (e.g., Items 9, 10, 17, 22, 23, 28, and 29) assess behaviors such as seeking sexual partners in public venues, engaging in sexual activity with strangers or newly introduced acquaintances, participating in “friends with benefits” arrangements, and engaging in infidelity or anonymous sexual liaisons. This subscale reflects an uncoupling of sexual activity from romantic commitment.

3. Involvement in Commercial Sex and Self-Directed Eroticism

Originally theorized to encompass direct participation in the commercial sex economy—both as a consumer and a provider—this subscale incorporates Items 12, 13, 18, 19, 24, 25, 31, and 32. It inquires about purchasing or selling sex, visiting strip clubs, purchasing and utilizing sex toys alone, viewing pornography, and engaging in cyber-sex or phone-sex. In empirical validation studies, direct exchange of money for sex demonstrated very low base rates in collegiate samples; consequently, this factor loaded most heavily on solitary erotic consumption, such as pornography use and solo sex toy utilization.

4. Sex as a Means to an End

This construct examines the utilitarian and transactional application of sexual behavior to achieve non-sexual objectives. While traditional feminine ideology frames sex as an altruistic act of emotional bonding or reproductive obligation, this subscale assesses the pragmatic deployment of sexuality as leverage. Measured by Items 8, 15, 16, 26, 30, 35, and 39 (reverse scored), it reflects behaviors such as having sex to resolve an interpersonal argument, prevent a partner from terminating a relationship, secure academic or professional advancement, or manipulate an individual into providing favors or material goods.

5. Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex

This cognitive dimension assesses explicit ideological beliefs regarding sexual norms. It evaluates whether a woman rejects prescriptive rules regarding sexual conduct. Measured by Items 33, 34, 36 (reverse scored), 37, 38 (reverse scored), and 40 (reverse scored), it includes beliefs that sex should be spontaneous, that one should remain perpetually available for sexual opportunity, that love is not a mandatory prerequisite for intercourse, and that physical climaxes (orgasms) are essential components of sexual satisfaction. Although theoretically coherent, this dimension demonstrated psychometric instability in early empirical testing.

Theoretical Framework

The conceptual architecture of the WNSQ is grounded in several interrelated psychological and sociological paradigms: Sexual Script Theory, Gender Role Socialization paradigms, and Sociosexual Orientation Theory.

Sexual Script Theory

Formulated by sociologists William Simon and John H. Gagnon (1984, 1986), Sexual Script Theory posits that human sexual behavior is not merely an instinctual biological reflex, but a learned social performance guided by cognitive schemas known as sexual scripts. These scripts operate at three distinct levels:

1. Cultural Scenarios: Broad societal guidelines defining what qualifies as sexual, who the acceptable actors are, and under what circumstances sexual behaviors are permissible. Historically, Western cultural scenarios have mandated the “good girl” script—prescribing female chastity, relational fidelity, passivity, and emotional connection.
2. Interpersonal Scripts: The relational adaptation of cultural scenarios during interpersonal negotiations between partners, determining who initiates, who sets physical boundaries, and how consent is communicated.
3. Intrapsychic Scripts: Internalized desires, private sexual fantasies, and personal motivations that may conflict with cultural norms.

The WNSQ was explicitly developed to measure behaviors and internal scripts that directly contradict traditional cultural scenarios. By assessing solitary masturbation, impersonal casual encounters, and instrumental sex, the scale operationalizes non-normative interpersonal and intrapsychic scripts among women.

Gender Role Socialization and Femininity Ideology

The primary theoretical driver behind Levant’s scholarship is the construct of gender role socialization. Levant et al. (2007) established that societies maintain normative belief systems regarding gender-appropriate behavior. For women, traditional femininity ideology dictates expectations of emotional dependence, maternal focus, domesticity, and sexual purity. The “Purity” mandate within traditional femininity ideology requires women to inhibit overt sexual interest, avoid non-relational intercourse, and maintain sexual modesty. The WNSQ directly operationalizes the antithesis of the feminine purity mandate. Women who score high on the WNSQ challenge the dominant gender hierarchy by exercising sexual agency, engaging in detached physical gratification, and utilizing sexuality strategically.

Sociosexual Orientation

The WNSQ incorporates evolutionary and individual-difference frameworks articulated by Jeffry A. Simpson and Steven W. Gangestad (1991) via their construct of sociosexuality. Sociosexual orientation represents an individual’s willingness to engage in sexual relations outside of a committed relationship. Individuals characterized by an “unrestricted” sociosexual orientation require minimal emotional closeness, commitment, or time before engaging in sex. The WNSQ expands upon classical sociosexuality inventories by incorporating behaviors unique to modern female eroticism, including sex-toy integration, instrumental sex, and communication assertiveness, moving beyond basic partner-count metrics.

Validity

Empirical validation of the WNSQ was conducted across university samples, demonstrating robust psychometric properties across construct, convergent, and discriminant domains (Levant, Rankin, Hall, Smalley, & Williams, 2009).

Convergent Validity

Convergent construct validity was evaluated through correlation with established psychometric measures of uncommitted sexual behavior and traditional gender ideologies:

• Sociosexual Orientation Index (SOI): The total score of the WNSQ demonstrated a strong, statistically significant positive correlation with the SOI (r = .72, p < .01). This confirms that the WNSQ effectively captures uncommitted sexual tendencies. At the subscale level, the Casual Sex subscale yielded the highest association with the SOI (r = .73, p < .01). The remaining subscales demonstrated moderate, statistically significant positive correlations ranging from r = .28 to r = .57 (all p < .01), illustrating that while the WNSQ overlaps with sociosexuality, it assesses unique dimensions such as sexual assertiveness and commercial/solitary behaviors.
• Femininity Ideology Scale (FIS) – Purity Subscale: To establish construct coherence, the WNSQ was correlated with the Purity dimension of the FIS (Levant et al., 2007). In line with theoretical predictions, the WNSQ total score exhibited a statistically significant negative correlation with the Purity subscale (r = −.44, p < .01). Women holding rigid beliefs regarding female sexual purity scored substantially lower on nontraditional sexual behaviors. At the subscale level, the correlations with FIS Purity were consistently inverse: Sex as a Means to an End correlated at r = −.17 (p < .01), while other subscales correlated between r = −.24 and r = −.46 (p < .01).

Discriminant and Content Validity

Content validity was established through expert review panels consisting of clinical psychologists, sexologists, and gender studies scholars who refined the 40 items to minimize moralistic or pejorative framing. Discriminant validity was supported by the scale’s ability to differentiate between women involved in exclusive monogamous partnerships (67% of the validation sample) versus those actively engaging in casual, non-exclusive sexual activity (5% strictly nontraditional, with another sub-group reporting non-exclusive sexual behavior). The WNSQ scores demonstrated independence from general socioeconomic status and household income, demonstrating that nontraditional sexual expressions are driven by ideological and personal variables rather than economic necessity within the evaluated populations.

Reliability

The Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire exhibits robust overall internal consistency across its behavioral sections, though psychometric evaluations indicate heterogeneity among subscales:

• Total Scale Internal Consistency: In the initial standardization sample of 243 college-aged women (Levant et al., 2009), the total scale achieved an overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of α = .88, indicating high internal consistency and minimal measurement error across the 34 scored items (Items 7–40).
• Subscale Internal Consistencies:
  • Degree of Sexual Interest: α = .80 (6 items: 7, 11, 14, 20, 21, 27). This indicates strong reliability for tracking libido, masturbation frequency, and sexual assertiveness.
  • Casual Sex: α = .84 (7 items: 9, 10, 17, 22, 23, 28, 29). This subscale exhibits high reliability for non-exclusive sexual activity.
  • Involvement in Commercial Sex: α = .80 (8 items: 12, 13, 18, 19, 24, 25, 31, 32). High internal reliability was maintained, driven primarily by the high inter-item correlations among solitary erotica and sex toy variables.
  • Sex as a Means to an End: α = .72 (7 items: 8, 15, 16, 26, 30, 35, 39R). This represents acceptable reliability for assessing instrumental sexual negotiations.
  • Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex: α = .22 (6 items: 33, 34, 36R, 37, 38R, 40R). This subscale exhibited poor internal consistency, indicating that abstract cognitive statements regarding sexual norms did not form a unidimensional construct.

The standard error of measurement (SEM) remains low for the four primary behavioral subscales, supporting the structural integrity of the behavioral components of the scale.

Factor Analysis

The structural dimensionality of the WNSQ was evaluated using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) procedures (Levant et al., 2009).

Factor Extraction and Rotation

An initial EFA using principal axis factoring with oblique (Promax) rotation was conducted on Items 7 through 40 to evaluate the underlying latent structure. The mathematical criteria for factor retention included Kaiser’s criterion (eigenvalues > 1.0) and Cattell’s scree plot inspection. Although five theoretical domains were originally hypothesized, the empirical factor extraction conclusively revealed a four-factor solution accounting for 33.5% of the total variance.

Factor Loadings and Modifications

• Factor 1: Casual Sex: Items measuring uncommitted, non-exclusive, and anonymous sexual encounters (Items 9, 10, 17, 22, 23, 28, 29) exhibited robust factor loadings ranging from .54 to .81. This factor explained the largest portion of shared variance.
• Factor 2: Degree of Sexual Interest: Items indexing sexual drive, solitary masturbation, active communication of desires, and erotic fantasies (Items 7, 11, 14, 20, 21, 27) loaded strongly onto a distinct dimension, with coefficients ranging from .48 to .76.
• Factor 3: Sex as a Means to an End: Items involving instrumental or manipulative applications of sexuality (Items 8, 15, 16, 26, 30, 35, 39R) converged cleanly, displaying factor loadings between .42 and .70.
• Factor 4: Self-Pleasuring / Solitary Eroticism (Refined Commercial Sex): The theorized “Involvement in Commercial Sex” factor did not emerge as a purely commercial construct. Due to extremely low base rates for transactional prostitution (Items 13 and 19 had minimal variance in the validation sample), the factor coalesced around solitary sexual consumer behaviors: watching pornography alone (Item 31), solo sex toy usage (Item 12), and purchasing erotic media/materials (Items 18, 24). Factor loadings for these solitary consumption items ranged between .51 and .79.
• Dissolution of the Attitudinal Factor: The theorized fifth factor, Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex, failed to manifest as a stable latent dimension. Individual attitudinal items either cross-loaded diffusely or failed to meet the minimum .30 loading threshold. Consequently, Levant and colleagues recommended that investigators rely primarily on the four behavioral factor subscales when conducting structural equation modeling or parametric group comparisons.

Instrument / Measurement Tool

The Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire (WNSQ) is structured as follows:

• Instrument Type: Standardized self-report psychometric survey.
• Format: Available in online survey formats (e.g., Qualtrics, REDCap) and standardized pencil-and-paper administrations.
• Total Item Count: 40 items total.
  • Preliminary Demographic and Contextual Items (Items 1–6): Categorical/nominal variables assessing relationship status, lifetime sexual history, current activity, partner exclusivity agreements, casual sexual encounters, and gender preference of partners.
  • Behavioral Frequency Subscale (Items 7–32): 26 items evaluating behavioral occurrences.
  • Attitudinal Agreement Subscale (Items 33–40): 8 items evaluating normative sexual beliefs.
• Response Scales:
  • Items 1–6: Categorical forced-choice options.
  • Items 7–32: 7-point Likert-type frequency scale anchored from 1 = Never to 7 = Frequently.
  • Items 33–40: 7-point Likert-type agreement scale anchored from 1 = Strongly Disagree through 4 = Neutral to 7 = Strongly Agree.
• Estimated Completion Time: Approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
• Scoring and Computational Rules:
  • Reverse Scoring: Items 36, 38, 39, and 40 are reverse scored before aggregation (i.e., 1 → 7, 2 → 6, 3 → 5, 4 → 4, 5 → 3, 6 → 2, 7 → 1).
  • Total Scale Score: Calculated by reverse-scoring Items 36, 38, 39, and 40, and then computing the mean of all scored items (Items 7 through 40). Higher scores denote higher engagement in and endorsement of nontraditional sexuality.
  • Degree of Sexual Interest Subscale Score: Calculate the mathematical average of Items 7, 11, 14, 20, 21, and 27.
  • Casual Sex Subscale Score: Calculate the mathematical average of Items 9, 10, 17, 22, 23, 28, and 29.
  • Involvement in Commercial Sex (Self-Pleasuring) Subscale Score: Calculate the mathematical average of Items 12, 13, 18, 19, 24, 25, 31, and 32.
  • Sex as a Means to an End Subscale Score: Reverse-score Item 39, then calculate the mathematical average of Items 8, 15, 16, 26, 30, 35, and 39R.
  • Nontraditional Attitudes About Sex Subscale Score: Reverse-score Items 36, 38, and 40, then calculate the mathematical average of Items 33, 34, 36R, 37, 38R, and 40R (used with caution due to low internal consistency).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Women’s Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire was developed and formalized in 2009 by Ronald F. Levant and his research team at The University of Akron. The instrument is considered an academic, non-commercial assessment instrument designed for research and educational purposes. Under standard fair-use academic research conventions, the instrument may be administered without royalty fees by qualified graduate students, university faculty, and behavioral scientists, provided appropriate bibliographic citation is accorded to the authors.

For formal institutional use, clinical trials, or modification requests, researchers should contact the corresponding developer directly:

• Corresponding Developer: Ronald F. Levant, Ed.D., ABPP
• Institutional Address: Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1901
• Electronic Mail: [email protected]

References

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(5–6), 373–383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9258-0

Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1984). Sexual scripts. Society, 22(1), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02695886

Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1986). Sexual scripts: Permanence and change. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15(2), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542219

Simpson, J. A., & Gangestad, S. W. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(6), 870–883. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.6.870

13. Items of the Scale (Questionnaire)