Chapter 6 Sexuality and Society

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Sex: A Biological Issue The biological distinctions between females and males Primary sex characteristics Organs used for reproduction Secondary sex characteristics Bodily development that distinguishes mature males and females © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex and the Body Intersexual people (hermaphrodites) Transsexuals Possessing some combination of female and male genitalia Transsexuals People who feel emotionally linked to one sex, but are biologically the other © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex and the Body Often expressed feeling is “trapped in the body of the wrong sex” Disregard conventional ideas about how males and females look and behave © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex: A Cultural Issue Cultural variation The incest taboo Showing affection and sexual position Notions of modesty Restrictions placed upon openness The incest taboo Found in every society Forbidding sexual relations between relatives © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

First-Cousin Marriage Laws across the United States Source: National Conference of State Legislatures (2011) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sexual Revolution 1960s: A new openness toward sexuality Birth-control pills Double standard challenged Premarital and extramarital sex Men & women almost equal in premarital sex American youth broadly accept premarital sex 75% of men & 90% of women remain faithful © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sexual Revolution 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 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sexual Revolution Sex over the life course Patterns of change with age Males are sexually active by age 16, females by age 17 Age 60: 85% of men and 60% of women say they've been sexually active in the past year Sexual activity is normal for most older adults © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sexual Revolution: Closing the Double Standard A larger share of men than women reports having had two or more sexual partners by age twenty. But the sexual revolution greatly reduced this gender difference. Source: Laumann et al. (1994:198). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Attitudes in the US The sexual counterrevolution The return to sexual responsibility Limited partners STDs Premarital sex © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contraceptive Use in Global Perspective Sources: Data from United Nations (2008) and Population Reference Bureau (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Attitudes in the US Premarital sex Sex between Adults Extramarital Sex Sex over the Life Course © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation Heterosexuality Homosexuality Bisexuality “Hetero:” the other of two Homosexuality “Homo:” the same Bisexuality Strong attraction to both sexes © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation Asexuality Roots of sexual orientation No sexual attraction Roots of sexual orientation Mounting biological evidence for genetics Can’t discount social influences © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Four Sexual Orientations A person’s levels 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). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation What Gives Us a Sexual Orientation? Sexual Orientation: A Product of Society Sexual Orientation: A Product of Biology How Many Gay People Are There? The Gay Rights Movement © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation in the United States: Survey Data Share of the Population That Is Bisexual or Homosexual © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation in the United States: Survey Data Attitudes toward Homosexual Relations, 1973–2010 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Opposition to Homosexual Relationships: Attitudes of First-Year College Students, 1980–2008 The historical trend among college students is toward greater tolerance of homosexual relationships, a view held by a large majority. Sources: Astin et al. (2002) and Pryor et al. (2009). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Controversies Pornography Sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal Supreme Court gives local communities the power to what violates community standards Pornography in the U.S. is $5 billion/year industry © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Controversies Teen pregnancy Criticized for moral and political reasons Teen pregnancy U.S. has highest rate compared to other high-income countries Sex education: solution or problem? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teenage Pregnancy Rates across the United States The map shows pregnancy rates for women aged fifteen to nineteen in 2010. In what regions of the country are rates high? Where are they low? What explanation can you offer for these patterns? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prostitution Social and cultural ties Types of prostitution Strongest in low-income countries where: Patriarchy is strong Opportunities to earn a living are restricted Types of prostitution “Call girls” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prostitution A “victimless crime?” Workers in controlled parlors “Street walkers” A “victimless crime?” Police stage only occasional crackdowns. The sex trade subjects many women to kidnapping, emotional abuse, & violence © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prostitution in Global Perspective Sources: Peters Atlas of the World (1990) and Mackay (2000). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Violence and Abuse Rape A violent act that uses sex to hurt, humiliate, or control another person Date rape (or acquaintance rape) Forcible sexual violence against women by men they know © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Violence and Abuse Accounts for 2/3rds of all rape Myths about rape Rape always involves strangers Women provoke their attackers Rape is simply sex © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Analysis Structural-functional analysis Need to regulate sexual behavior Latent function Symbolic-interaction analysis The social construction of sexuality Sexual practices vary from culture to culture © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Analysis Social-conflict analysis Highlights dimensions of inequality Shows how sexuality reflects patterns of social inequality and helps perpetuate them. Queer theory–Research findings that challenge the heterosexual bias in US society © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Abortion Controversy Roe v.Wade (1973) Established legal access to abortion Pro-choice Support a woman’s right to choose abortion © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Abortion Controversy Pro-life Oppose abortion as morally wrong Circumstances of the pregnancy Makes a big difference in how people see this issue © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

When Should the Law Allow a Woman to Choose Abortion? The extent of public support for legal abortion depends on how the issue is presented. Source: NORC (2011:397–399). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.