1. SEXUALITY AND SOCIETY
CHAPTER 6

2. What was the sexual revolution, and how did it change U.S. society?
Why do societies try to control people’s sexual behavior?
How does sexuality play a part in social inequality?

3. Understanding Sexuality
Sexuality is a theme found almost everywhere
Sex industry is a multibillion-dollar business
U.S. culture has long treated sex as taboo

4. Sex: A Biological Issue
The biological distinction between females and males
From a biological viewpoint: the way humans reproduce
Sex of an embryo guides its development

5. Sex and the Body PRIMARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS
The genitals, organs used for reproduction
People reach sexual maturity at puberty
SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS
Bodily development, apart from the genitals, that distinguishes biologically mature females and males
Sex is not the same as gender
Gender is an element of culture and refers to personal traits and patterns of behavior a culture attaches to being male or female

6. Intersexual People
People whose bodies (including genitals) have both female and male characteristics
Hermaphrodite
Has both female ovaries and male testis
Our culture demands that sex be clear-cut
Some respond to intersexuals with confusion or disgust

7. Transexuals
People who feel they are one sex even though biologically they are the other
Transgendered
Disregarding conventional ideas about how females and males should look and behave
Gender Reassignment
Surgical alteration of the genitals, usually accompanied by hormone treatments

8. Sex: A Cultural Issue Sexuality has a biological foundation
Like other elements of human nature, sexuality is also a cultural issue
Biology does not dictate specific ways of being sexual

9. CULTURAL VARIATION
Every sexual practice shows variation from one society to another
Displaying affection varies among societies
Modesty is culturally variable
Some societies restrict sexuality and others are more permissive

10. The Incest Taboo Incest Taboo
A norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives
Found in every society in the world
Reason some form of incest exist everywhere
Biology – Reproduction between close relatives of any species increases the odds of producing offspring with mental and physical problems

11. Controlling sexuality between close relatives is a necessary element of social organization
Incest taboo limits sexual competition in families
Because family ties define people’s rights and obligations toward one another, reproduction between close relatives would confuse kinship
By requiring people to marry outside their immediate families, the incest taboo integrates the larger society

12. Sexual Attitudes in the United States
America’s cultural attitudes toward sexuality has always been something of a contradiction

13. Efforts to regulate sexuality continued into the 20th century
U.S. culture is individualistic
People have the freedom to do what they wish as long as there is no direct harm to others
Privacy makes sex a matter of individual freedom and choice
In the U.S. sexuality is both restrictive and permissive
On one hand people view sex as a sign of personal morality
On the other hand, sex is a part of the mass media

14. On balance, do you think the mass media encourage young people to engage in sexual activity?
Explain

15. The Sexual Revolution
Profound changes in sexual attitudes and practices over the past century
The “Roaring Twenties”
Slowed during the Great Depression and World War II
Alfred Kinsey set the stage for the Sexual Revolution
National uproar resulted from scientists studying sex
People were uneasy talking about even in privacy

16. Kinsey’s books encouraged a new openness toward sexuality
Sexual revolution came to age in the 60’s
Baby boom generation was the first cohort in U.S. history to grow up with the idea that sex was part of people’s lives
Technology played a part
Birth control pill
Women were historically subject to greater sexual regulation than men
Society’s “double standard”

17. Sexual revolution increased sexual activity overall
Changed women’s behavior more than men’s
Greater openness about sexuality develops as societies become richer and the opportunities for women increase

18. The Sexual Counterrevolution
The sexual freedom of the 1960’s and 1970’s were criticized as evidence of moral decline
A conservative call for a return to “family values”
A change from sexual freedom back to the sexual responsibility of earlier generations

19. For moral reasons or concerns about STD’s more people began choosing to limit their number of sexual partners or not have sex at all
There is now greater acceptance of premarital sex as well as increasing tolerance for various sexual orientations

20. Premarital Sex Sexual intercourse before marriage
35% say it is “always wrong” or “almost always wrong”
17% say it is “wrong sometimes”
About 45% say it is “not wrong at all”
Society remains divided on the issue
Premarital sex is widely accepted among young people today

21. Young people can be sexually active without having intercourse
Increase in oral sex
Preferred over intercourse because does not involve risk of pregnancy
Can transmit diseases
20% of today’s teens have sexual intercourse before age 15
Half had at least one experience involving oral sex

22. Sex Between Adults
Frequency of sexual activity varies widely in the U.S. population
Married people
have sex with partners the most
Report the highest level of satisfaction with their partners
Physically
emotionally

23. Extramarital Sex ADULTERY
Married people having sex outside of marriage
Widely condemned
Norm of sexual fidelity within marriage has been and remains a strong element of U.S. culture
Actual behavior falls short of the cultural ideal
25% of married men and 10% of married women have has at least one extramarital sexual experience
75% of men and 90% of women have remained sexually faithful to their partners

24. Sex Over The Life Course
Patterns of sexual activity change with age
Advancing age is linked to a decline in people who are sexually active
Contrary to popular stereotypes
Sexual activity is a normal part of life for most older adults

25. Does a pledge of abstinence require that someone not engage in oral sex?
Explain your view.
Why do you think U.S. society has become more accepting of premarital sex but not of extramarital sex?

26. Sexual Orientation SEXUAL ORIENTATION HETEROSEXUALITY HOMOSEXUALITY
A person’s romantic and emotional attraction to another person
HETEROSEXUALITY
Sexual attraction to someone of the other sex
HOMOSEXUALITY
Sexual attraction to someone of the same sex
BISEXUALITY
Sexual attraction to people of both sexes

27. Sexual attraction is not the same as sexual behavior
ASEXUALITY
No sexual attraction to people of either sex
Sexual attraction is not the same as sexual behavior
Worldwide, heterosexuality is the norm
Permits human reproduction
Most societies tolerate homosexuality

28. What Gives Us a Sexual Orientation
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: A PRODUCT OF SOCIETY
Argues that people in any society attach meanings to sexual activity
Meaning differ from place to place over time
Patterns of homosexuality differ greatly from one society to another
Existence of global diverse patterns indicate that sexual expression is socially constructed

29. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: A PRODUCT OF BIOLOGY
Suggests that sexual orientation is innate
LeVay
Studied the brains of heterosexual and homosexual men
Found small but important difference in the size of the hypothalmus
Part of the brain that regulates hormones
Genetics may also influence sexual orientation
Evidence leads some researchers to think there may be a “gay gene”

30. How Many Gay People Are There?
Hard question to answer
People are not always willing to discuss there sexuality with strangers or even family members
Some social scientists estimate 10%
How homosexuality is defined makes a big difference
Less than 1% describe themselves as bisexual
Many do not think of themselves as gay or straight
Behavior reflects elements of gay and straight living

31. The Gay Rights Movement
Change in public attitudes toward homosexuality is a result of the Gay Rights Movement
1973 – American Psychiatric Association
Homosexuality was not an illness but “a form of sexual behavior”
HOMOPHOBIA
Discomfort over close personal interaction with people thought to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual

32. What evidence supports the position that sexual behavior is constructed by society?
What evidence supports the position that sexual orientation is rooted in biology?
What changes in laws regarding gay marriage do you expect in the next ten years?
Why?

33. Sexual Issues and Controversies
Sexuality lies at the heart of a number of controversies in the United States today
Teen Pregnancy
Pornography
Prostitution
Rape

34. Teen Pregnancy
Engaging in sexual intercourse demands a high level of responsibility
Teenagers
May be biologically mature to conceive
Many are not emotionally secure
U.S. birth rate to teens higher than all other high-income nations
Affects young women of all racial and ethnic categories

35. Raises the risk of school dropout and poverty
Weak families and low income increase the likelihood of sexual activity and unplanned children
Raises the risk of school dropout and poverty
Rate was higher in the 1950’s than it is today
Abortion was illegal and led to quick marriages
Rate today is lower but 80% are unmarried

36. Pornography
Sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal
U.S. Supreme Court gives local communities the power to decide what type of material
Violates “community standards” of decency
Lacks “redeeming social value”
Very popular in U.S.
Majority of consumers are men
Criticized on moral grounds

37. People everywhere object to sexual material
Political issue
Degrades women and portrays them as sexual playthings of men
Critics claim
Cause of violence against women
Difficult to prove scientific cause and effect
Half of adults opine it encourages rape
People everywhere object to sexual material
However, value the expression of free speech and protection of artistic expression
Pressure for restriction is building from conservatives and liberals

38. Prostitution The selling of sexual services Most people
The “world’s oldest profession”
Most people
Sex should be an expression of intimacy between two people
Find the idea of sex for money disturbing
Greatest in poor countries
Strong patriarchy
Traditional cultural norms limiting women’s ability to earn a living

39. TYPES OF PROSTITUTION Call Girls – The top level
Elite prostitutes
Young, attractive, and well-educated
“Massage Parlors” prostitutes – Middle level
Less choice about clients
Receive less money
Keep no more than half of what they make
Street-walkers – Bottom level
“Work the streets” of large cities
Under the control of pimps who take most of their earnings
Some are addicted to drugs and sell sex to buy drugs

40. Most offer heterosexual services Gay prostitutes
Sell sex after having suffered rejection by family and friends because of their orientation

41. A VICTIMLESS CRIME?
Prostitution is against the law everywhere in the U.S.
Instead of enforcing laws, police stage occasional crackdowns
Reflects a desire to control while recognizing the impossibility of elimination
Is prostitution really victimless?
Subjects many women to abuse and violence
Has a part in spreading STDs including AIDS
Many poor women become trapped in that life
Especially in low-income countries

42. Sexual Violence: Rape and Date Rape
An expression of power
A violent act that uses sex
Hurt, humiliate, or control
95,000 women report rape each year
Actual number is several times higher
Official government definition
“The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will”
Most rapists are heterosexuals

43. DATE RAPE (AQUAINTANCE RAPE)
Refers to forcible sexual violence against women by men they know
Myths
Rape involves strangers
Woman must have done something to encourage the man and make him think she wanted sex
Rape leaves emotional and psychological scars
Affects the victim’s ability to trust others
Danger of date rape is most high on college campuses
Promotes easy friendships and encourages trust

44. Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality
Applying sociological theoretical approaches provides a better understanding of human sexuality
Three major approaches
Structural-functional analysis
Symbolic interaction analysis
Social-conflict analysis

45. Structural-Functional Analysis
The Need To Regulate Sexuality
Culture and social institutions regulate with whom and when people reproduce
Allowing sexual passion to go unchecked would threaten family life
No society permits a completely free choice of sexual partners
“Legitimate” reproduction (within marriage)
“Illegitimate” reproduction (outside marriage)

46. Latent Functions: The Case of Prostitution
Prostitution is one way to meet the sexual needs of a large number of people who do not have ready access to sex
Favored because it provides sex without the “trouble” of a relationship
“Men don’t pay for sex; they pay so they can leave”

47. CRITICAL REVIEW
Approach helps appreciate the important role sexuality plays in the organization of society
Ignores gender
Sexual patterns change over time, just as they differ around the world

48. Symbolic Interaction Analysis
Highlights how people interact and construct everyday reality
Different people construct different realities
Our understanding of sexuality can and does change over time

49. The Social Construction of Sexuality
The changing importance of virginity
Young people’s awareness of sex
Global Comparisons
Different societies attach different meanings to sexuality
Sexual practices vary from culture to culture
Circumcision
Clitorectomy – Female circumcision

50. CRITICAL REVIEW
Strength of this approach lies in revealing the socially constructed character or familiar social patterns
Limitations
Not all sexual practices are so variable
Men everywhere have always been more likely to see women in sexual terms
Because this pattern is widespread – some broader social structure must be at work

51. Social-Conflict Analysis
Approach shows how sexuality reflects and perpetuates patterns of social inequality
Sexuality: Reflecting Social Inequality
Enforcement of prostitution is uneven
Would so many women be involved in prostitution if they had economic opportunities equal to men
Categories most likely defined and treated as sexual objects
Those with less power – women
People of color compared to whites
Sexuality used by society to define some people as less worthy

52. Sexuality: Creating Social Inequality
The root of inequality between women and men
Defining women in sexual terms devalues them from full human beings to objects of men’s interests and attention
Pornography, consumed by males, is a power issue
Shows women focused on pleasing men
Supports the idea that men have power over women
American culture describes sexuality as sports
Men “scoring” with women
Violence (“slamming, banging, and hitting on”)
Verbs used for fighting and sex

53. Queer Theory
A body of research findings that challenges the heterosexual bias in U.S. society
Heterosexism
A view that labels anyone who is not heterosexual as “queer”
Widely tolerated and sometimes within the law
Part of everyday culture

54. Abortion The deliberate termination of a pregnancy
Most divisive sexuality related issue of all
No middle ground in the debate

55. CRITICAL REVIEW
Approach shows how sexuality is both cause and effect of inequality
Overlooks the fact that many people do not see sexuality as a power issue
Pays little attention to steps society has made in reducing inequality
Ample evidence that the Gay Rights Movement has won greater opportunities and social acceptance for gay people

56. Why do modern societies give people more choice about matters involving sexuality?
What evidence can you provide showing that human sexuality is socially constructed?
How does sexuality play a part in creating social inequality?