Society The Basics FOURTEENTH EDITION Chapter 6 Sexuality and Society

Learning Objectives 6.1 Describe how sexuality is both a biological and a cultural issue. 6.2 Explain changes in sexual attitudes in the United States. 6.3 Analyze factors that shape sexual orientation. 6.4 Discuss several current controversies involving sexuality. 6.5 Apply sociology's major theories to the topic of sexuality.

The Power of Society

Understanding Sexuality Learning Objective 6 Understanding Sexuality Learning Objective 6.1: Describe how sexuality is both a biological and a cultural issue. Sex: Biological distinction between females and males

Culture and Attractiveness (1 of 2) Culture sets the standards for attractiveness. Attractiveness underlies our choices about reproduction. All of the people pictured here are considered beautiful by members of their own society.

Culture and Attractiveness (2 of 2) Sexually active students were linked to each other through networks of common partners much more than anyone might have expected. In all, common partners linked half of the sexually active students, as shown in the diagram.

A Biological Issue Primary sex characteristics Organs used for reproduction Secondary sex characteristics Bodily development that distinguishes mature males and females

Sex and the Body (1 of 2) Intersexual people (hermaphrodites) Possessing some combination of female and male genitalia 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” Disregard conventional ideas about how males and females look and behave

Sex and the Body (2 of 2) We are used to thinking of sex as a clear-cut issue of being female or male. But transsexual people do not fit such simple categories. In 2008, Thomas Beatie, age 34, became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl; since then, he has given birth to two additional children. Beatie, who was born a woman, had surgery to remove his breasts and legally changed his sex to bear children. What is your response to cases such as this?

Sex: A Cultural Issue (1 of 2) Cultural variation Showing affection and sexual position Notions of modesty Restrictions placed upon openness

Sex: A Cultural Issue (2 of 2) The incest taboo Found in every society Forbidding sexual relations between relatives Rooted in biology Necessary element of social organization in human species

NATIONAL MAP 6–1 First-Cousin Marriage Laws across the United States

The Sexual Revolution (1 of 3) Learning Objectives 6 The Sexual Revolution (1 of 3) Learning Objectives 6.2: Explain changes in sexual attitudes in the United States. Over the course of the past century, social attitudes in the United States have become more accepting of most aspects of human sexuality. What do you see as some of the benefits of this greater openness? What are some of the negative consequences?

The Sexual Revolution (2 of 3) Profound changes in sexual attitudes and practices 1920s: Roaring Twenties 1948: Kinsey research

The Sexual Revolution (3 of 3) 1960s: A new openness toward sexuality Birth-control pills Double standard challenged Premarital and extramarital sex Men and women almost equal in premarital sex. American youth broadly accept premarital sex. 75% of men and 90% of women remain faithful.

Figure 6-1 The sexual Revolution: Closing the Double Standard

Global Map 6-1 Contraceptive Use in Global Perspective

Table 6–1 How We View Premarital and Extramarital Sex Survey Question: “There’s been a lot of discussion about the way morals and attitudes about sex are changing in this country. If a man and a woman have sexual relations before marriage, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? What about a married person having sexual relations with someone other than the marriage partner?” Premarital Sex Extramarital Sex “Always wrong” 21.0% 78.4% “Almost always wrong” 5.5 11.9 “Wrong only sometimes” 15.8 6.7 “Not wrong at all” 54.1 1.2 “Don’t know”/No Answer 3.6 1.8 Source: General Social Surveys, 1972–2012: Codebook (Chicago: National Opinion Research Center, 2013), pp. 421–22.

Sexual Orientations (1 of 3) Although a larger share of men than women report having had two or more sexual partners by age twenty, the sexual revolution greatly reduced this gender difference.

Sexual Orientations (2 of 3) Sex between adults 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.

Sexual Orientations (3 of 3) Roots of sexual orientation Mounting biological evidence for genetics Social influences cannot be discounted

The Sexual Revolution: Sex over the Life Course Patterns of change with age By mid-twenties, about 90% of both women and men report being sexually active with a partner at least once during the past year. Young adults report the highest frequency of sexual intercourse at eighty-four times per year. This number falls to sixty-four times for adults in their forties and declines further to about ten times per year for adults in their seventies.

Sexual Attitudes in the US The sexual counterrevolution The return to family values and sexual responsibility Limited partners STDs Premarital sex

Sexual Orientation: Types (1 of 3) Learning Objectives 6 Sexual Orientation: Types (1 of 3) Learning Objectives 6.3: Analyze factors that shape sexual orientation. Heterosexuality “Hetero:” The other. Sexual attraction to someone of the other sex Homosexuality “Homo:” The same. Sexual attraction to someone of the same sex

Sexual Orientation: Types (2 of 3) Bisexuality Strong attraction to both sexes Asexualiy Lack of sexual attraction to people of either sex

Sexual Orientation: Types (3 of 3) One factor that has advanced the social acceptance of homosexuality is the inclusion of openly gay characters in the mass media, especially films and television shows. In the popular musical-drama series Glee, Chris Colfer plays Kurt Hummel, who came out as being gay during the first season of the show. How would you assess the portrayal of homosexuality in the mass media?

Gay Rights Movement Public attitudes moving toward greater acceptance Homosexuality no longer defined as an illness Use of term homophobia Gay marriage legalized in some states

Sexual Controversies Learning Objective 6 Sexual Controversies Learning Objective 6.4: Discuss several current controversies involving sexuality. Teen pregnancy U.S. has highest rate compared to other high- income countries. Pregnancy among unmarried teenage women, once a social taboo, has become part of the mass media.

National Map 6-2 Teenage Pregnancy Rates across the United States

Sexual Controversies: Pornography Pornography is sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal. Supreme Court gives local communities the power to decide what violates community standards. Pornography in the U.S. is a $10 billion/year industry. Pornography is criticized for moral and political reasons.

Sexual Controversies: Prostitution Selling of sexual services Social and cultural ties Most common in poor countries where: Patriarchy is strong. Opportunities to earn a living are restricted.

Prostitution Types of prostitution A “victimless crime?” “Call girls” Workers in controlled parlors “Street walkers” A “victimless crime?” Police stage only occasional crackdowns. The sex trade subjects many women to kidnapping, emotional abuse, and violence.

Sexual Violence and Abuse (1 of 3) Myths about rape Rape always involves strangers. Women provoke their attackers. Rape is simply sex.

Sexual Violence and Abuse (2 of 3) Rape A violent act that uses sex to hurt, humiliate, or control another person Expression of power, not sex About 12% of high school girls and 5% of high school boys reported being forced into having sexual intercourse against their will.

Sexual Violence and Abuse (2 of 3) Date rape (or acquaintance rape) Forcible sexual violence against women by men they know Accounts for 70% of all rape High danger on college campuses

When Sex Is Only Sex: The Campus Culture of “Hooking Up” Student responses to the survey suggest that hookups have three characteristics. First, most couples who hook up know little about each other. Second, a typical hookup involves people who have been drinking alcohol, usually at a campus party. Third, most women are critical of the culture of hooking up and express little satisfaction with these encounters.

Theories of Sexuality (1 of 2) Learning Objective 6 Theories of Sexuality (1 of 2) Learning Objective 6.5: Apply sociology's major theories to the topic of sexuality. Structural-functional analysis Need to regulate sexual behavior Latent functions Evaluation helps us see the important part sexuality plays in the organization of society Sometimes ignores gender

Theories of Sexuality (2 of 2) Symbolic-interaction analysis The social construction of sexuality Sexual practices vary from culture to culture. Evaluation Constructed character of familiar social patterns revealed. Not all sexual practices are so variable so broader social structure may be missed.

Social Conflict and Feminist Theories Social-conflict analysis Highlights dimensions of inequality Shows how sexuality reflects patterns of social inequality and helps perpetuate them Queer theory Evaluation Shows that sexuality is both a cause and effect of inequality Suggests that many people do not see sexuality as a power issue

Applying Theory Sexuality Structural-Functional Theory Symbolic-Interaction Theory Social-Conflict and Feminist Theories What is the level of analysis? Macro-level Micro-level What is the importance of sexuality for society? Society depends on sexuality for reproduction. Society uses the incest taboo and other norms to control sexuality in order to maintain social order. Sexual practices vary among the many cultures of the world. Some societies allow individuals more freedom than others in matters of sexual behavior. Sexuality is linked to social inequality. U.S. society regulates women’s sexuality more than men’s, which is part of the larger pattern of men dominating women. Has sexuality changed over time? How? Yes. As advances in birth control technology separate sex from reproduction, societies relax some controls on sexuality. The meanings people attach to virginity and other sexual matters are all socially constructed and subject to change. Yes and no. Some sexual standards have relaxed, but society still defines women in sexual terms, just as homosexual people are harmed by society’s heterosexual bias.

The Abortion Controversy (1 of 2) Roe v. Wade (1973) Established legal access to abortion Pro-choice Supports a woman's right to choose abortion Pro-life Opposes abortion as morally wrong Circumstances of the pregnancy Makes a big difference in how people see this issue

The Abortion Controversy (2 of 2)