Gender-role expectations exert a profound impact on our sexuality. Our beliefs about males and females, together with our assumptions about what constitutes appropriate
behaviors for each, can affect many aspects of sexual experience. Our assessment of ourselves as sexual beings, the expectations we have for intimate relationships, our perception of the quality of such experiences, and the responses of others to our sexuality are all significantly influenced by our identification as male or female.
In the following pages we examine some of our gender-role assumptions and their potential effects on relations between the sexes. We do not mean to imply that only heterosexual couples are limited by these assumptions. Gender-role stereotypes can influence people regardless of their sexual orientation, although homosexual couples might be affected somewhat differently by them.