Who Is in Charge? Partner-Sexual Objectification, Personal Power, and Relationship Satisfaction in Heterosexual Women

Exploring the impact of sexual objectification within romantic relationships is an emerging field of study. Previous work has typically associated sexual objectification by a romantic partner with adverse outcomes for both the individual and the relationship. Our research sought to build upon and advance this emerging body of literature by investigating the link between partner-sexual objectification and women's personal power. Personal power, defined as the perceived influence over a partner, is crucial for the quality of romantic relationships. Study 1 (N = 284) was an experimental study aimed at determining whether partner-sexual objectification affected women's sense of personal power. In Study 2 (N = 187), we tested theoretical assertions regarding the links among partner-sexual objectification, personal power, and relationship satisfaction using a cross-sectional design. Both studies were conducted in Italy. In Study 1, we found that participants who recounted experiences of partner-sexual objectification reported reduced personal power. This main finding was replicated in Study 2. Additionally, in the latter study, we found that partner-sexual objectification was directly associated with participants’ decreased satisfaction in the relationship, and this link was mediated by their diminished personal power. The theoretical implications of our results are further discussed.