Slide 1:

By Zachary Kislevitz & Alexa Tohme Period: 2 Patterns of Adult Living Mr. Brown Cross-Cultural PERSPECTIVES on Sexuality

Slide 2: Sexuality Perspectives, like other social institutions, do not operate in a vacuum. They are related to and influenced by other factors, such as the economy, government, marriage and the family, religion, and education, as well as social patterns such as age distributions and gender ratios. They are by no means a constant, but rather ever evolving.

Slide 3:The United States of America& The Western Perspective

Slide 4:Religious Influence

- Western religious thought about love, sexuality, marriage, the social and familial roles of men and women, and the emotions and behavioral patterns associated with courtship, pair bonding, conception, and birth have textual bases in the Jewish Pentatuch and other biblical writings -because Judaic thought has strongly influenced the sexual views of Christianity and all of Western culture, one must acknowledge that the theological, religious, and secular writings that permeate American conceptions of sexuality are embedded in this 3,500-year-old matrix - Religious Groups in the U.S.A.: Statistically, Americans are 61 percent Protestant - 21 percent Baptist, 12 percent Methodist, 8 percent Lutheran, 4 percent Presbyterian, 3 percent Episcopalian, and 13 percent other Protestant groups, including the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and others; Roman and Eastern-rite Catholics account for 25 percent of Americans, Jews 2 percent, 5 percent other religious groups, and 7 percent are not affiliated with any church - the two largest denominations in the U.S.A. are the Roman Catholic Church with a membership of over 50 million and Southern Baptist Conventions with between 10 and 15 million members (Greeley 1992)---there are also 2.5 million Muslims in the U.S.A.

Slide 5:Religious Influence Continued

At one end of the spectrum are fundamentalist, evangelical, charismatic factions that accept as word-for-word truth the writings of the Bible as the word of God and advocate the establishment of the United States as a Christian nation. For them, living under God’s rule would be evidenced by the man firmly established as the head of each family in the U.S.A. and the woman in her God-given role as submissive wife and bearer of children for the Kingdom of Heaven. Similar fundamentalist strains in the United States are apparent among ultra-orthodox Jews and radical Muslims. At the other end of the spectrum are various mainstream Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims who accept a processual/evolutionary world-view

Slide 6:Religion and Ethnicity Continued

In the southern states, on the east and west coasts, and in the populous midwest states are several hundred “mega-churches,” which draw upwards of 5,000 to 20,000 faithful every week to each church-it appears that the way these churches deal with sexual issues may have a major impact on American sexuality because of the large memberships they are attracting. However, there is often a great difference between official church doctrine and worldview and the views and practices of its members. The Conservative Christian Coalition, among the major forces in the American religious scene affecting public sexual mores, uses preachers whom expound on sexuality, marriage, family, and morality. Two examples illustrate this: A religious pamphlet published by the Rose of Sharon Press in Tennessee, the buckle of the so-called Bible Belt in the U.S.A., extols the clitoris as the “cradle of love,” and the Reverend Timothy LeHaye reminds his followers that God indeed created the delights of oral sex for married couples (only) to enjoy. No statistical data exist concerning these groups, and we know nothing about sexual behavior among individuals within these churches.

Slide 7:The current strength of the power of the American religious right is evident in the wide-reaching branches of Pat Robertson’s political machine, the Christian Coalition, and the “electronic churches,” including Robert-son’s cable television Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), with annual revenues of $140 million . A parallel conservative culture is James Dobson’s multimedia empire, Focus on the Family, which includes ten radio shows, eleven magazines (including speciality publications for doctors, teachers, and single parents), best-selling books, film strips, and videos of all kinds, curriculum guides, church-bulletin fillers, and sermon outlines faxed to thousands of pastors every week. The popularity of Dobson’s first book, Dare to Discipline - more than 2 million copies sold in 1977 - inspired his formation of Focus on the Family, which now has an annual budget of $100 million and a staff of 1,300 workers who answer more than 250,000 telephone calls and letters a month In the late 1980s, Protestant fundamentalist televangelists from the South were reaching millions of listeners. Their influence was weakened by several major sex scandals, but they continue to play a major role in the anti-abortion movement and are part of the Christian Coalition. In the same era, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops tried to establish a cable television network to bring the Catholic faith to the masses. Where they failed, a determined Catholic fundamentalist-charismatic, Mother Angelica, from Mobile, Alabama, succeeded with the Eternal Word Network, which brings ultraconservative interpretations of Catholic sexual and social morality to devoted listeners twenty-four hours a day.

Slide 8:Argentina & The Latin American Perspective

Slide 9:Gender Roles

Latin American societies? the sexual behavior of women is always much more conditioned by norms, rules, regulations, and taboos than the sexual behavior of men Women were supposed to reach marriage in a virginal state, and then take care of the home, go to church, bear and educate children, and support their men in political, professional, and economic activities For a long time, this double standard was accepted without open criticism The late 1940s -- women have taken steps towards equal rights and independence from parents, spouses, and lovers They started painfully opening spaces in Argentina’s political, economic, legal, and educational arenas The government has also opened opportunities for them in political and administrative positions as well women -- university chairs, legal benches, large corporations, research laboratories, journalism, medicine, and all fields of art However, it is still possible to observe discrimination against women and privileges given to men not because of their excelling in a job or profession, but simply because they are males.

Slide 10:Argentine Society

Virginity is no longer a condition for marriage On the contrary, before deciding to engage in a permanent relationship, most women want to know their future spouse in bed Argentine women are exercising their new roles in markets and societies with a flexible mental attitude that tries to integrate all aspects of their complex new situation… motherhood, work, etc. Women’s liberation from submission to parents, brothers, and spouses is slowly harmonizing male and female energies and leading to a win/win situation for both, although the way to this end is not yet free of obstacles Both oral and anal sex carry a negative connotation, especially for older persons and among the traditional middle- and upper-class families Argentine youth, however, seem to be taking a new look at these sexual expressions

Slide 11:Religion

Recently, three Catholic women in Uruguay, Argentina’s neighboring country, investigated Catholic women’s ideas on and practices of sexuality and maternity Their sample included hundreds of women from Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, countries which share a similar historical and cultural evolution. The women commonly expressed dissatisfaction with their sexual lives, and had developed the strategy of “not feeling” or “getting used to putting up with it.” Others were oppressed by the idea that sex is sinful and felt badly after each sexual encounter. While many of the women interviewed felt God as a close friend, they viewed the Church as distant, disciplinary, and controlling

Slide 12:Adolescents

Sexual behavior differs from one group of Argentine youth to another depending on their social class and place of residence. Social belonging and location determine different levels of knowledge, repressions, and attitudes towards life in general and sex in particular.

Slide 13:City Youth

In the larger cities youth are exposed to a cosmopolitan vision of life and receive more information on sex and sexuality Freer to experiment with this vision and information than youth living in smaller towns where family control is strong and where cultural patterns are rather narrow Access to magazines in which sexuality is analyzed Contraceptives available in pharmacies Youth in poverty usually neglect contraceptives due to money situations The army distributes free condoms to the soldiers when they leave the barraks on their weekly leave days – limited budget in healthcare for the army

Slide 14:Rural Youth

For rural youth, it is quite different They receive information on sex and sexual behavior just from observing nature in which they are totally immersed, and from the relation between genders in the family where members enjoy little privacy, if any. On the other hand, the prevailing Catholic Church writes deep into the unconscious of every boy and girl, but especially of the latter, ideas of guilt and sin that trouble the pleasure that the early awakening of the senses in the rural milieu can bring Neither boys nor girls are taught about the relational and recreational aspects of sex, and the possibilities offered by modern technology for keeping under control the reproductive aspects.

Slide 15:Adolescents’ Opinion

The young’s perception is that society is not providing appropriate responses to their needs of knowing more about sexuality and sensuality The information they get at home, school, and church is incomplete and biased by the prejudices of the adults. They would prefer an honest, open, uninhibited dialogue with parents, teachers, and priests. They feel endangered by AIDS and other diseases because society is reacting too slowly and is still not assuming full responsibility, preferring to stick to old patterns of thought and behavior rather than save lives.

Slide 16:Iran& The Middle Eastern Perspective

Slide 17:Iran: A Dependency CultureThe Roles of Females

Children are raised to be dependent on other family members and to remain so throughout their lives. At a suitable age, determined by the parents and other older kin, a husband or wife will be selected for a daughter or son by the mother. She will investigate the health, wealth, and character of the proposed spouse and bring about the agreement of the person’s parents that the marriage will take place. She will also ensure the compliance of her son or daughter. The father will negotiate with the proposed spouse’s male kin with regard to all financial aspects of the marriage.

Slide 18:The Roles of Females

Since loss of virginity invalidates these financial agreements, female offspring are physically supervised by older relatives It is thus part of the female role, in the capacity of mother, aunt, or grandmother to participate in the continual supervision of younger females, leaving no opportunity for behavior that might jeopardize nuptial agreements. Once the marriage occurs, the mother-in-law takes over from the bride’s mother the responsibilities of supervising her new daughter-in-law, ensuring her fidelity as a wife. The importance of this particular role depends both on the education level of the groom son and the residential situation

Slide 19:As a wife, a woman is subordinate to her husband and his older kin, particularly his parents and older sisters. Regardless of her age, a woman’s friendships with males are confined to those with her father, brothers, and sons. This is particularly true for upper-class women; the greater her family’s wealth, the more likely the female is to be controlled and supervised At the same time, there is a strong emotional component in father-daughter and brother-sister relationships, including familar touches Westerners would likely consider somewhat erotic, if not lightly sexual.

Slide 20:The Roles of Males

Like the female, the male has a set of gender-defined kin roles. He remains subordinate to his father, uncles, and grandfathers until the age when his own children are marriageable. As he ages, he acquires more say in the financial affairs of the family. His mother, maternal aunts, and older sisters act as allies in enforcing his rules when he is away from home. In the 1970s, wives in college and the work force were more often than not accompanied to and from their places of study or business by an older relative or the husband.

Slide 21:The Roles of Males

As a father, uncle, and father-in-law, a man’s power of veto in family decisions increases with age. He is likely to exercise strong veto over the education of his daughters and the way they dress. In this respect, he sets the rules and his wife carries out the necessary supervision. The gender roles are thus closely tied to maintaining the rules and upholding the honor of the extended family unit.

Slide 23:Religion: Islamic Law

Islam: Sunnis & Shi’ites Iran = majority Shi’ites The Shah of Iran was ousted in February 1979 resulting in the Shar’ia or Islamic law, under which females are not considered legally or mentally the equal of males. A woman must be represented in all legal transactions by a man, by her father or brother if she is unmarried, or by her husband if she is married. Islam, like other monotheistic religions, prohibits pre- and extramarital sex. Sex between two adults married to others is condemned as the most serious of sins Under Islamic law, adultery and fornication results in the penalty of stoning to death Some Islamic countries have at different points in time lifted the death penalty for adulterous males, while retaining it for females In Iran and probably most Islamic countries, adultery is rare, not only because of Islamic prohibitions but because of social mores that segregate the sexes and allow no privacy.

Slide 24:Marriage

The role of a healthy sexual relationship is very important to the marriage Having children is encouraged Beyond childbearing, sexual relations assume a prominent role in the overall well-being of the marriage In the Hadith, the Prophet discusses all issues including those dealing with human sexuality. The topics range from questions about menstruation to orgasm. the nature of sexual relations as a means of attaining mutual satisfaction, closeness and compassion between a wife and husband. Sexual dissatisfaction is considered legitimate grounds for divorce on the part of either wife or husband.

Slide 25:Women’s Dress

Although the Qur’an does not prescribe the covering of the head for women nor the separation of men and women in public places, Iranians follow a style of dress and segregation of the sexes characteristic of Islamic societies of the Middle East The traditional veil or chador, which in many villages and towns often concealed only the back of the head and the general outline below the waist, is now supplemented with bandannas pulled low over the forehead, and thick stockings to conceal lower limbs not completely covered by loose pants. The outline of the ankle has to be obscured because its dimension is thought to be related to that of the vagina. The veil itself is pulled firmly across the face and chest, as was always the custom many cities Now “modesty” is a requirement for all girls over the age of 9, no hair must show around the face.

Slide 26:Sex Education in Iran

Under the Shah’s regime, which ended in 1978, the state school biology curriculum for the second year of high school included a section on human reproduction, showing the mechanics of meiosis, or egg and sperm production. Such information, revealing that males and females both contribute genetic material to the production of a fetus, runs counter to Islamic law with regard to child custody… that the child is the product solely of male seed. When Islamic law was reinstated by the Ayatollah Khomeini, it was necessary to suppress any dissemination of the idea that males and females both contribute materially to the production of a child. In religious instruction classes, students are taught the format of prayers to be said at the five daily prayer times prescribed by Islam, and the rules of purity and pollution surrounding them. Provided information on anatomical differences between the sexes Information on the measures to be taken prior to prayer to counter the polluting effects of urination, defecation, expectoration, expulsion of nasal mucus, menstruation, childbirth, ejaculation, and penetration of the vagina to restore spiritual purity These measures require that the student have detailed knowledge of the reproductive organs and sexual practices.

Slide 27:Sex Education

Education about matters related to sex is acceptable. Muslims may disagree about the age at which sex education begins; some don't discuss the subject at all. Explaining anatomy and the changes one's body experiences during puberty are essential for enabling young people to grow up with a healthy self-image. Sex education can be taught in a way that informs young people about sexuality in scientific and moral terms.