1. Samantha Maroff Marriage & Family SOC 210

2.  There are a few theories when picking a partner, the equity theory, filter theory and homogamy  EQUITY THEORY: an intimate relationship is satisfying and stable if both partners see it as equitable and mutually beneficial  FILTER THEORY: sifting eligible people according to specific criteria and narrowing the pool of potential partners to a small number of candidates  HOMOGAMY: refers to dating or marrying someone with similar backgrounds that we have

3.  Dating is a part of our human mating process where two people meet socially beyond friendship and become intimate that may end in marriage  The average couple dates over three and half years before getting engaged  The average engaged couple waits about two years before getting married

4.  To have a happy marriage, both partners need to have love, companionship, commitment, compatibility, flexibility, positive attitude, communication, conflict resolution, and emotional support  Not all marriage end in happiness though, survey says that 40-50% end in divorce while 50-60% stay together and do so happily

5.  About 97% of Americans engage in sex before marriage  About 3% of Americans wait until marriage to engage in sex  Statistics show that women wait more than men to engage in sex, about 60% of women and 40% of men  From 1954-1963 only 11% wait until marriage to have sex and from 1994- 2003 only 3% wait until marriage

6.  Couples engage in sex for:  Pleasure  Procreation  Celebrate occasions  Feel closer to their partner  Increase intimacy  Expression of love and affection

7.  People always joke that your sex life vanishes when you get married, but is this true?  Most married couples report being happy with their sex lives, their sexual intimacy may decline because of lack of time, but their satisfaction is higher. 80% of men report being very happy with their sex lives while 60% of women do  Many married couples have a happier sex life after many years because they are more comfortable with each other and can explore their sexual desires

8.  Many married couples continue to engage in sexual intercourse, even into their 70s and 80s  As long as both partners are healthy, they can have a happy sex life  Their sexual appetite and activity decreases over time but it does not vanish

9.  A survey of American males and females ages 25 to 44 years who engage in different types of sexual contact  There are four different categories:  Vaginal intercourse  Anal sex with opposite sex  Oral sex with opposite sex  Same-sex contact

10.  Surveys have shown that men have had more sex partners than women  The highest percentage for men is five to ten sex partners  The highest percentage for women is two to four sex partners

11.  The most common sexual positions for married couples are:  Missionary  this position provides intimate face to face connection  Doggy Style  this position is also the favorite position of people who have cheated  Cowgirl  Reverse Cowgirl  Lazy dog (spooning)

12.  Women like to get creative: 83% of women are open to role playing with their husbands, they are more willing to dress up in sexy lingerie. 81% of women are open to using sex toys and 75% are open to watching porn with their husbands  Women’s number one fantasy: the most popular fantasy women reported was having sex in public. The close second is having group sex  Married couples lead to better sex: married women and men are more open to try new sexual things

13.  52% of women and 49% of men agree that they had hotter sex before children  8% of women and 22% of men say sex actually got better after children  Surveys show that the highest percentage of married couples have sex once a week (24%) and the lowest percentage of married couples have sex once a year (0.5%)  Surveys show that 81% of married couples have not been caught by their children, 16% say yes but the children did not know what they were doing and 1% say yes and they knew exactly what they were doing

14.  Surveys show the highest percentage of women say they have sex occasionally during pregnancy (36%) while the survey shows the lowest percentage say their partners did not want too (4%)  There is some evidence that pregnant women get an increase in libido in the second trimester. 43% of women claim they did not notice any increase at any particular stage, while 11% say they did not like having sex at all while pregnant

15.  Benokraitis, N.V. (2014). Marriages and Families (8 th Edition). New York: Pearson  Lets Talk about sex (after kids): Survey Results (Netmums) http://www.netmums.com/woman/sex-and-relationships/the-mama-sutra-let-s-talk- about-sex/lets-talk-about-sex-after-kids-survey-results  Good, bad, and dirty: The iVillage 2013 married sex survey (TODAY.com) http://www.today.com/health/ivillage-2013-married-sex-survey-results- 1D80245229  4 Cool Statistics About Abstinence in the USA (WTMorg Social network and dating site for those who wait 4 Cool Statistics About Abstinence in the USA Comments) http://waitingtillmarriage.org/4-cool-statistics-about-abstinence-in- the-usa/http://waitingtillmarriage.org/4-cool-statistics-about-abstinence-in- the-usa/  Women Are Dating Longer Before Getting Engaged http://www.bridebox.com/blog/couples-date-before-engagement/