Table of Contents
Definition of Double Standard
(noun) Formal and informal mores, norms, and rules that apply differently to different people and are often gendered.
Example of Double Standard
- A man having sex with multiple partners is seen as a “stud”, whereas a woman who has sex with multiple partners seen as a “slut”. This is referred to as the sexual double standard.
Double Standard Pronunciation
Syllabification: dou·ble stan·dard
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /dUHb-uhl stAn-duhrd/
- British English – /dUHbl stAn-duhd/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈdʌbəl ˈstændərd/
- British English – /ˈdʌbl ˈstændəd/
Usage Note
- Plural: double standards
Additional Information
- Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “double” and “standard” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Jary, David, and Julia Jary. 2000. Collins Dictionary of Sociology. 3rd ed. Glasgow, Scotland: HarperCollins.
Kornblum, William. 2008. Sociology in a Changing World. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Cite the Definition of Double Standard
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “double standard.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/double-standard/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
double standard. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/double-standard/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “double standard.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/double-standard/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“double standard.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 17 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/double-standard/>.