When it comes to casual sex, researchers have long referred back to the seminal 1989 study which suggested that men are more likely to accept a sexual invitation from a stranger than women are. But clever researchers from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germany didn’t think this painted a fair picture of male vs. female sexual desire -- they thought that perhaps the 1989 study left out important cultural context, like the potential for slut-shaming and the possibility of sexual violence that are unfortunately all too real to women. These researchers wanted to see what would happen if they added a bit more nuance to the oft-cited study to find out: Would women be more likely to accept strange men’s sex propositions if they wouldn’t suffer the social repercussions or safety risks?

The rates of interest in casual sex were exactly the same for men and women when they were taken off the streets and into a lab that controlled for all of the stigma and potential danger women often face.