Let’s Talk About Sex Lesson 10: Human Sex and Sexuality

Early Ideas In early days of anthropology, people believed men and women were fundamentally different Biologically programed to behave different Women – nurturing, dependent, gentle and passive Men – rough, independent, and aggressive Margaret Mead helped dispel this myth Showed us that sex and gender are separate

Sex and Gender Sex Biological distinction between males and females XX and XY chromosomes Gender Social distinction between masculine and feminine A constructed status Varies from group to group

Sex as Reproduction Sex can also be defined as the physical act of reproduction This is a biological drive in all humans Despite being universal, how we actually “do it” varies cross culturally If we asked Americans what they thought was the natural sex position, what would they say?

More than Just Sex Varies What is erotic to one group may be disgusting to another Kissing is not universal Some rub noses Others may sniff each other Americans kiss in public; Chinese only in private Views toward sexual partners also vary Sex acts between two men are considered “homosexual” in the US The Sambia do not think the same way

Incest All human groups exhibit an incest taboo It’s forbidden to have sex with members of the family Sex in the nuclear family is universally taboo From there the rules vary In the US, it is forbidden to marry one’s first cousin In the Middle East cousin marriage is common Justification for this taboo varies The Trobrianders focus on what happens to the people who committed the act In the US, the focus is on the offspring

Forms of Political Organization Chiefdoms –Much larger groups –Egalitarianism completely eroded –Who is their leader? States –Clearly defined geographic territory Defends from external threat with a military and internal disorder with a police force –Rigid hierarchy –Controlled by a government

Dr. Jekyll The US is both conservative and permissive regarding sex. Why? Puritans cam first Changes began in the 1840s The first wave of feminism The next significant change came in the 1920s The Flapper The Depression and World War II slowed change

& Mr. Hyde The Depression and World War II slowed change But, there is the untold story of premarital sex and the G.I.s The Kinsey Reports This all led to the sexual revolution in the 1960s Roe v. Wade The counterrevolution in the 1980s

Back to Biology Men and women differ at the level of chromosomes Women = XXMen = XY This means men and woman have 45 out of 46 chromosomes in common But not all births are easily put into male or female Upwards of 1% exhibit sexual ambiguity Called intersexual