There were no significant differences across the two time periods with respect to protagonist or relationship characterization, the nature and order of sexual behaviours (both in individual sex scenes and across the novels) and the time of day and location of the sexual encounter. However, we did find significant changes with respect to contraception usage across time: Contraception was used more frequently by characters in romance novels published between 2000 and 2009. Interestingly, though there were no significant differences in the initiation of sexual encounters across time, there were a greater percentage of scenes that were initiated by female protagonists and an increase in shared initiation in the later time block. (251)
See also the follow-up article by A. Dana Ménard in the Journal of Popular Romance Studies (2013).
See also the follow-up article by A. Dana Ménard in the Journal of Popular Romance Studies (2013).