REFLECTION PAPERS on the movie "Hitch"

Chapter 7

Sexuality

Sex & the Media

Average American youth spends 1/3 of each day with various types of mass media

Brown et al. found that children between 12-14 who had a “high sexual media diet” were more than 2x more likely to have sex at ages 14 to 16, compared to teens exposed to lighter sexual media fare

According to Martino et al., teens who listen to raunchy, sexual lyrics of music are twice as likely to start having sex sooner than those who listen to other songs

Many commercials emphasize not only that sex is fun, but that everyone is having it

Married people have the most sex, and report the highest levels of both emotional and physical satisfaction with their partners

25% of married men and 10% of married women have had at least one extramarital sexual experience

Incidence is higher among the young than the old

Higher among men than women

Higher among people of low social positions than those who are well off

Chances are higher with people who don’t identify with a religion

Also higher with people in unhappy marriages

Culture

Positions

Kinsey (1948) found that heterosexual couples in the US have sex in a single position

People in the South Seas never have sex in that way

“Missionary position”

Kissing

Modesty

Incest

The Sexual Revolution

First began in the 1920’s with industrialization

“Roaring 20’s”

Kinsey wrote 2 bestselling books which revealed that people in the US were much less conventional about sexual issues than expected

Encouraged a new openness towards sexuality

Sexual revolution really came of age in the 60’s

Narrowing of the double standard

Increased sexual activity overall, but changed women’s behavior more than men’s

The Sexual Counterrevolution

Began in 1980

Was a conservative call for a return to “family values”

Critics of the sexual revolution objected to the idea of free love, cohabitation, and children being born out of wedlock

Whether for moral reasons or fear of disease, more people began limiting their number of sexual partners or abstained from sex altogether

Sex is more satisfying in countries where women and men are considered equal

“When mama’s not happy, nobody’s happy”

According to the UN, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden give women the highest social standing

Women in the nations of Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Yemen have the lowest social standing

Why do people go against their wishes and give in to sex?

Enticement – involves seduction

Altruism – satisfying the other person just because he/she wants it

Inexperience – belief that one needs the experience

Reluctance – feeling obligated or not knowing what else to do

Sexual Values

Sexual values – deeply held beliefs and attitudes about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable sexual behavior

4 Standards of Premarital and Nonmarital Sex:

The Double-Standard – standard according to which premarital and nonmarital sex is more acceptable for men than for women

Permissiveness with Affection – allows premarital or nonmarital sex for both women & men, provided they have an affectionate and committed relationship

Permissiveness without Affection – (“recreational sex”) allows premarital or nonmarital sex for women & men regardless of the amount of affection or stability in their relationship

Abstinence – avoidance of intercourse

Sexual Values of College Students

Knox identified 3 sexual values that guided the behavior of college students in sexual decision making:

Absolutism – adhere to strict codes, usually religious in nature, that dictate right and wrong

Hedonism – “if it feels good, do it, but don’t hurt anybody in the process”; men 6x more likely to endorse this

Relativism – “what you do sexually depends on the person you’re with, how you feel about each other, and the nature of the relationship”

The age at which people have had their first sexual encounter has dropped over the past 50 years: Went from 20.4 ys (1954-63) to 17.6 (1994-03)

How Do We Learn About Sex?

Parents

Research suggests that mothers with good relationships with teenage daughters have been able to influence their sexual activity

Some parents avoid having “the talk” until an “appropriate time”, or will discuss the topic once then feel that they’ve done their duty – although more frequent discussion is more effective

In white families, usually fathers talk with their boys and mothers talk with their girls. In black & Hispanic families, however, mothers more than fathers perform this function, regardless of the sex of the child

Religion

Direct influence – some research suggests that the strength of religious beliefs & frequency of church attendance are related to the delay of first intercourse; especially true for girls

Indirect influence – higher religiosity --> lower drinking --> lower frequency of sexual behavior

Friends & Siblings

Friends, not parents, are the most important source of information about sex

Friends have the greatest influence on teenager’s sexual values and on a teen’s decision to become sexually active

Sex Education

Probably the most effective sex-ed approaches involve teaching students to understand the pressure from media and peers to have sex and how to resist it, and to understand the risks of unprotected sex and how to avoid them

Sexual Partners

They become the most influential in helping us to modify our sexual expectations (sexual scripts)

Sexual Scripts

Sexual script – a set of expectations as to how one should behave in sexual situations

Represent the interpretations and behaviors we have learned from society and others that are expected of us in sexual situations

Sexual scripts are most influential and powerful during adolescence and young adulthood, when people are most influenced by media, friends, and parents; later, we are more influenced by our partners

Men’s sexual scripts: supposed to be in charge, confident, aggressive – not tender and compassionate

Women’s sexual scripts: expected to be beautiful, loving, nurturing, and accommodating