Understanding Sexuality Sexuality is not just about “having sex.” Through much of our history, sex has been a cultural taboo. Scientists long considered sex off limits as a research topic. Sex – the biological distinction between females and males.

Sex and the Body Primary sex characteristics – the genitals, and organs used for reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics – bodily development apart from the genitals.

Intersexuals and Transsexuals In rare cases, a hormone imbalance before birth produces an intersexual person. Some intersexuals undergo genital surgery to appear normal. Transsexuals – people who feel they are one sex even though biologically they are the other. Many become transsexuals by surgically altering their genitals.

Sex: A Cultural Issue Sexuality has a biological foundation. Like all dimensions of human behavior, sex is very much a cultural issue. Are any cultural views of sex the same everywhere? Yes: The incest taboo – forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.

Sexual Attitudes in the United States Alfred Kinsey set the stage for the “sexual revolution.” Kinsey published a study of sexuality in 1948. His work fostered a new openness toward sexuality. The “pill” was introduced in 1960, making sex more convenient. In 1980, a counterrevolution began, calling for a return to family values.

Figure 7-1 (p. 165) The Sexual Revolution: Closing the Double Standard

Sexual Orientation Sexual orientation – a person’s romantic and emotional attraction to another person. The norm is heterosexuality. A significant number of people favor homosexuality. Bisexuality – sexual attraction to people of both sexes.

Figure 7-2 (p. 168) Kinsey’s Sexual Orientation Continuum

What Gives Us A Sexual Orientation? Anthropologists provide evidence suggesting that sexual orientation is socially constructed. Various kinds of homosexuality exist in different cultures. A growing body of evidence suggests that orientation is innate, rooted in biology.

Sexual Controversies Teen Pregnancy – One million teens become pregnant each year in the United States. Pornography – a $10 billion a year industry that some claim leads to a breakdown of morals. Prostitution – the selling of sexual services has reached 1 in 5 men at some point in time.

Sexual Violence and Abuse Rape is an expression of power. It is an act used to humiliate or control another person. 90,000 women are raped each year. Most rapes involve people who know one another. Many victims of date rape do not report the crime.

Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality: Structural-Functional Analysis Sex allows our species to reproduce. Culture and institutions regulate with whom and when people reproduce. Prostitution is one way to meet the sexual needs of a large number of people who do not have ready access to sex.

Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality: Symbolic-Interaction Analysis Almost all social patterns involving sex have seen considerable change over time. The broader our view, the more variation we see in the meanings people attach to sexuality.

Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality: Social-Conflict Analysis SocNotes: A Study Companion Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality: Social-Conflict Analysis Sexuality both reflects and creates social inequality. We might wonder if women would be involved in prostitution at all if they had opportunities equal to men’s? Defining women in sexual terms amounts to devaluing them from full human beings into objects of men’s interests.