Love & Sexuality Family Sociology

Love and Sexuality Love is all around us – even if we are not in a romantic relationships We are constantly reminded that we “should” be in one Think about the $$ and energy spent on Valentines Day alone

Love & Sexuality Love and sexuality are socially constructed Economic & cultural changes influence how we view love, sex, and intimate relationships

Love & Sexuality The idea of sexual identity is socially constructed Even though we think of sexual behavior and romantic love as very personal emotions …. They are influenced by social norms, the current culture of the time, and demographic changes. The way we experience love is shaped by the context in which love occurs

Then & Now

Love & Sexuality Love/Romance is socially constructed How are ideas about romantic love constructed? The culture of Capitalism operates as a frame through which we see and interpret emotional experience This cultural frame creates the norms and values we associate with love relationships and how we express romantic love

Love & Sexuality Capitalist culture creates and reinforces specific symbols and rituals of romantic love When you think romantic love what images come to mind?

Love & Sexuality

Love and Sexuality From popular songs and movies, love and romance are EVERYWHERE What are some romantic songs that come to mind? How about Maxwell?

Love & Sexuality Why does romantic love continue to have such a grip on us – despite major social changes like increasing divorce rates? 1) Illouz argues that love is a special place where we experience utopia – or perfection In other words…love is sacred 2) Romantic love affirms the importance of the individual Individual fulfillment more important than social and economic concerns 3) Love sells!

Love & Sexuality What larger social and economic changes since the 1700s, 1800s have made a greater emphasis on romantic love possible? Standard of living has increased Greater emphasis on individualism Women are less economically dependent Emphasis on companionate marriage (being friends with your partner)

Love & Sexuality As women’s labor force participation rates increase, women postpone marriage to finish college, graduate school, or begin their careers This leaves a longer period time between leaving home and getting married This leads to postponing marriage

Percentage Never Married for Men and Women Aged 20 to 24, 1890 to 2000 2-1

New Survey on American Sexuality National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB) Conducted by the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University Study based on responses from 5,865 individuals, including about 800 under 18. Partially funded by Trojan Condoms Source: Reece, Herbenick, Schick, Sanders, Dodge, & Fortenberry (2010) Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol 7,255-65.

New Survey on American Sexuality Findings: Orgasm gap 85% of men say their female partner reached orgasm during their last sexual encounter However only 60% of women said they had an orgasm Hmmmm….. Condom Use Teens using condoms, but older people “back on the market” less likely to use them See chart from NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/10/04/health/04sex.html?ref=health

New Survey on American Sexuality Findings: Reasons why 50+ adults are not using condoms Older singles have spent much of their time married and may think of HIV/AIDS as concern for younger people They have not been targeted by public health messages No parental figure urging them to use condoms/ or not to have sex Older men may worry condoms cause erectile dysfunction Source: New York Times, 10/10/10

Love & Sexuality How has the connection between love & marriage changed? How about how has the relationship between love & sex changed? Hooking up? How has the connection between sex and marriage changed? How has the relationship between childbearing and marriage changed?

Love & Sexuality Since the 1960’s we have seen increases in: the likelihood of sex before marriage the number of partners

Nonmarital Sexual Activity Sex is now separated from marriage due to: Innovations in birth control Legalization of abortion Attitude change - greater acceptance of sex before marriage Kinsey Report first to show that many people were having sex outside of marriage

Nonmarital Sexual Activity Sex and love are disconnected How is hooking up defined? How has the “initiation” of romantic relations changed over the past 20 years? What are some of the findings of the article by Owen et al. on college students “hooking up?” What percent of college students report that they’ve “hooked up” What are the demographics of hooking up?

Nonmarital Sexual Activity In their study, Owen et al. defined hooking up as: ”an event in which two people are physically intimate outside of a committed relationship without the expectation of future encounters.” People used to go on dates, go steady etc. Now many relationships begin with “hooking up.” 50-75% of young adults say they’ve “hooked up” in the past year

Nonmarital Sexual Activity In previous studies, men were more likely than women to say they’ve hooked up – Owen et al document similar reports by gender They also find that White college students were more likely to report hooking up than college students of color Students were more likely to hook up if: Parent’s had higher income alcohol was involved students had positive views toward hooking up

Nonmarital Sexual Activity We still see evidence of sex differences in reported number of partners by sex

Number of sexual partners in past 12 months, for never-married, non cohabiting women and men, 2002 (NCHS)

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF: SOCIAL DESIRABILITY BIAS When people give an ideal response to a survey – that is socially acceptable - rather than the true response Think about people reporting their ideal weight, because we live in a society that emphasizes being thin THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF: SOCIAL DESIRABILITY BIAS So social desirability bias is when people report an answer on a survey that they think SHOULD report according to social norms

Love & Sexuality Childbearing has become separated from marriage Decline in the economic gains to marriage Changing attitudes now more acceptable to have a nonmarital birth Technological innovations in birth control Legalization of abortion – no more “having to get married”

Love & Sexuality Be careful out there!!!! If you are going to have sex, USE a CONDOM and a back up form of contraception Don’t leave anything to chance! The most recent national estimates, suggest that: Approximately 19 million new cases of STIs each year, half of them among 15–24-year-olds 65 million Americans have at least one viral STI, most commonly genital herpes In 2007, the CDC reported 1.1 million chlamydia diagnoses and 356,000 gonorrhea diagnoses. However, since most chlamydia and gonorrhea cases go undiagnosed or unreported, the true number of new infections is probably much greater. The rate of chlammydia is 3 times greater for women Source: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FIB_STI_US.html

Love & Sexuality Love and sexuality are socially constructed Economic and cultural changes influence how we view love, sex, and intimate relationships New survey shows ORGASM gap by gender Teens are using condoms more now than in the past Social desirability bias occurs when those being surveyed report the socially acceptable response, rather than the real answer