Sexuality and Society

1. Sexuality and Society Sociology, Eleventh Edition

2. Understanding Sexuality How much of your day does not involve thoughts about sexuality? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

3. Why Study Sexuality from the Sociological Perspective? • Many people do not understand sexuality very well. • It was a forbidden subject until the mid twentieth century. • Sexuality plays a part in many areas of social life. • At school, at work and in the media. • Sexuality is both important and controversial. • We continue to debate on many sexual topics: gay rights, teen pregnancy, prostitution, date rape, abortion, etc. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

4. Sex: a Biological Issue • Sex - The biological distinctions between females and males. • Ovum + Sperm = Embryo • Mother contributes the X chromosome • Father either contributes X or Y • XX = female • XY = male Sociology, Eleventh Edition

5. Sex and the Body • Primary sexual traits • Genitals • Organs used for reproduction • Secondary sexual traits • Bodily development that distinguishes mature males and females • Females - Wider hips, fatty tissue, etc. • Males – Upper body muscle, body hair, deeper voices. • Gender (not biological) • Refers to the personal traits and patterns of behavior that a culture attaches to being a male or female. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

6. Sex and the Body • Hermaphrodites/Intersexuals • Possessing some combination of female and male genitalia • How does our society feel about intersexuals? • The Navajo look at intersexuals in awe. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

7. Sex and the Body • Transsexuals • People who feel emotionally linked to one sex, but are biologically the other. • Often expressed feeling is “trapped in the body of the wrong sex”. • Transgendered - disregard conventional ideas about how males and females look and behave. • Many undergo gender reassignment. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

8. Sex: a Cultural Issue • Biology does not dictate how to be sexual. • Cultural variation • Showing affection and sexual position • When is it appropriate to kiss? • Notions of modesty • Covering body parts • Restrictions placed upon openness • Sex before marriage varies from place to place. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

9. Sex: A Cultural Issue • The incest taboo • The norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives. • Found in every society. • Restrictions vary from place to place. • 24/50 states outlaw marriage between first cousins. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

10. Discussion Question • How do we show affection in our society? • Where do we draw the line of whether an act is appropriate or inappropriate?

11. Sexual Attitudes in the United States Sociology, Eleventh Edition

12. Sexual Attitudes • As late as the 1960s some states banned the sale of condoms. • Until 2003, 13 states banned sexual acts between same sex people. • Fornication laws that prohibit sex between hetero couples prior to marriage still exist in 11 states. • Alfred Kinsey studied sexuality and published his first findings in 1948. • His work shocked the world and set the stage for the sexual revolution. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

13. Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll • Sexual Revolution: • Began in 1920s and quickly grew in the 1960s. • 1960’s: fostered a new openness toward sexuality • Baby boomers - Attitude of sex was part of everyone’s life, married or not • The pill  spontaneous sex • Double standard challenged • Women’s lives changed more than men’s. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

14. Sexual Attitudes in the U.S. • The sexual counterrevolution • Response to the sexual revolution. • Began in the 1980s. • The return to sexual responsibility and family values. • Limited partners or abstinence • STDs Sociology, Eleventh Edition

15. The Sexual Revolution • Premarital sex • Men and women are almost equal in the percent reporting engaging in premarital sex. • Premarital sex is broadly accepted among America's young. • Extramarital sex • 75% of men and 90% of women remain faithful during the marriages. • 90% of people say that extramarital sex is wrong. • Why would some people feel that extramarital sex is okay? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

16. Sex between Adults • Sex between adults • According to the Laumann study: • 1/3 have sex a few times a year or not at all • 1/3 have sex once to a few times a month • 1/3 have sex with a partner two or more times a week • Married people have more sex than unmarried people. • By age 80, 50% of men are still having sex. • Which surprises you? Why? • Is this what TV portrays? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

17. DISCUSSION QUESTION • The US ambivalence about sex was evident in public response to the Clinton sex scandals. Liberals defended Clinton; conservatives, on the other hand condemned Clinton as embodying 1960s permissiveness. • What do you think? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

18. Sexual Orientation Sociology, Eleventh Edition

19. Sexual Orientation A person’s romantic and emotional attraction to another person • Heterosexuality • attraction to the other sex • Homosexuality • attraction to the same sex • Bisexuality • Strong attraction to both sexes • Asexuality • No sexual attraction • Sexual attraction ≠ Sexual behavior • Homophobia – Discomfort over close interaction with gay, lesbian or bisexual people Sociology, Eleventh Edition

20. Figure 8-2 (p. 203)Four Sexual OrientationsA person’s level of same-sex attraction and opposite-sex attraction are two distinct dimensions that combine in various ways to produce four major sexual orientations.Source: Adapted from Storms (1980). Sociology, Eleventh Edition

21. Sexual Attraction • Ancient Greeks preferred homosexuality. • Women were intellectually inferior. • Heterosexuality only necessary for reproduction. • Eskimos in Siberia that practice homosexuality have one male dress as a female and perform a woman’s work. • In New Guinea, homosexual rituals exist to enhance the boys’ masculinity. • Roots of sexual orientation • Sexual orientation may not be a “choice” • Mounting biological evidence for genetics • Cannot discount social influences Sociology, Eleventh Edition

22. Figure 8-3a (p. 204)Sexual Orientation in the United States: Survey DataA: How Many Gay PeopleThe percentage of people who are classified as having a homosexual orientation depends on how this concept is operationalized. Research suggests that 2.8 percent of adult men and 1.4 percent of adult women claim a homosexual identity. Source: Adapted from Laumann et al. (1994). Sociology, Eleventh Edition

23. Figure 8-3b (p. 204)Sexual Orientation in the United States: Survey DataB: Attitudes toward Homosexual Relations, 1973-2002Since 1990, the percentage of U.S. adults who disapprove of homosexual relations has been going down and now stands at about 57 percent.Source: NORC (2003). Sociology, Eleventh Edition

24. Figure 8-4 (p. 206)Opposition to Homosexual Relationships: Attitudes of First-Year College Students, 1980-2004Despite a recent increase in opposition to homosexual relationships, the historical trend among college students is toward greater tolerance, a view held by a large majority.Sources: Astin et al. (2002) and Sax et al. (2004). Sociology, Eleventh Edition

25. DISCUSSION QUESTION • Does homosexuality have a biological basis? • If so, some worry, the existence of a gay gene might prompt selective abortion of fetuses thought to be homosexual or even surgery to “correct” the brains of gay men and lesbians. • Do you think society is capable of acting in such a manner? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

26. Lobotomist , James Watts, on the procedure… • "We went through the top of the head, I think she was awake. She had a mild tranquilizer. I made a surgical incision in the brain through the skull. It was near the front. It was on both sides. We just made a small incision, no more than an inch." The instrument Dr. Watts used looked like a butter knife. He swung it up and down to cut brain tissue. "We put an instrument inside," he said. As Dr. Watts cut, Dr. Freeman put questions to Rosemary. For example, he asked her to recite the Lord's Prayer or sing "God Bless America" or count backwards. ... "We made an estimate on how far to cut based on how she responded." ... When she began to become incoherent, they stopped. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

27. Sexual Issues and Controversies Sociology, Eleventh Edition

28. Sexual Controversies • Teen pregnancy • Are you biologically and emotionally mature enough to have a baby? • More likely among weak and low income families • Endless cycle • Teen pregnancy rate higher in 1950s than today. • Why? • 57% - keep; 29% - abort; 14% - miscarry • Sex education in schools: solution or problem? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

29. National Map 8-2 (p. 207)Teenage Pregnancy Rates across the United StatesThe map shows pregnancy rates for 2000 for women aged fifteen to nineteen. In what regions of the country are rates high? Where are they low? What explanation can you offer for these patterns?Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute (2004). Sociology, Eleventh Edition

30. Pornography • Pornography • Sexually explicit material that causes sexual arousal. • Supreme court gives local communities the power to decide what violates “community standards”, • 1 billion dollar a year industry • Some criticize it on “moral” ground • Degrades women • Others criticize it for political reasons • Causes violence against women • ½ of adults say that porn encourages people to commit rape Sociology, Eleventh Edition

31. Prostitution The selling of sexual services, often tabbed as the “world’s oldest profession”. • 1/5 men admit to paying for sex. • Social and cultural ties • Strongest in low-income countries where • Patriarchy is strong • Opportunities to earn a living are restricted • Types of prostitution • “Call girls” – elite, attractive, young, educated • Workers in controlled parlors • “Street walkers” • A “victimless crime”? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

32. DISCUSSION QUESTION • Is prostitution (as well as exotic dancing and other sex work) a sign of the oppression of women or an opportunity for some women to make a reasonably good living? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

33. Sexual Violence and Abuse • A culture of rape • Sexual violence ranges from verbal abuse to rape to assault. • Rape • A violent act that uses sex to hurt, humiliate, or control another person. • Motivated by desire for sex and expression of power • 93,000 women raped per year. • Date rape (or acquaintance rape) • Forcible sexual violence against women by men they know Sociology, Eleventh Edition

34. Rape • The government definition of rape is “the carnal knowledge of female forcibly and against her will”. • Official statistics only include females • Most men who rape men are not homosexual. • They are motivated by the desire to dominate someone. • Many rapes are not reported to the police. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

35. Myths about rape • Rape involves strangers • 67% are by people the victim knows • Women provoke their attackers • Rape is simply sex • Psychological scars Sociology, Eleventh Edition

36. DISCUSSION QUESTION • Count in your head (not aloud) how many words you can think of that characterize women with many sexual partners. • What # did you get? • Now count the of words associated with men with many sexual partners. • What # did you get? • Are the terms always negative? Sociology, Eleventh Edition

37. Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality Sociology, Eleventh Edition

38. Theoretical Analysis • Structural-functionalism • Need to regulate sexual behavior • Symbolic-interactionism • The social construction of sexuality • Social-conflict • Creating social inequality • Feminist theory • Sexuality may ultimately lead to the degrading women in society. • Queer theory • Challenging the heterosexual bias against homosexuals. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

39. The Abortion Controversy The deliberate termination of a pregnancy • 1973 Roe v.Wade U.S. Supreme court • Established a woman’s legal access to abortion • Pro-choice • Support a woman’s right to choose abortion • Pro-life • Abortion is morally wrong • Circumstances of the pregnancy makes a big difference in how people see this issue. Sociology, Eleventh Edition

40. Page 217When Should the Law Allow a Woman to Choose Abortion?The extent of public support for legal abortion depends on exactly how the issue is presented.Source: NORC (2003). Sociology, Eleventh Edition

41. DISCUSSION QUESTION • Why was the legalization of abortion in 1973 another important dimension of the sexual revolution? Sociology, Eleventh Edition