1. Sexuality Why do people have sex? Why don’t they?
What is “sociosexuality”? How does it relate to infidelity?
What determines sexual satisfaction?
How do we communicate desire?

2. Sexual Attitudes
1972 – 46% of respondents said sex between a man and a woman before marriage was “always or almost always wrong” (National Opinion Research Center, 1972)
1996 – 32% said that it was “always or almost always wrong”

3. But that is not to say most people endorse sex with strangers
People generally disapprove of intercourse between people in uncommitted relationships (Sprecher, McKinney, & Orbuch, 1987)
People who are sexually active are viewed more positively when described as being in a “serious” rather than a “casual” relationship (Bettor, Hendrick, & Hendrick, 1995)

4. Most people also prefer their dating or marriage partners to have had limited sexual experience (McKinney & Maxwell, 1997)
Thus, today there seems to be a prerequisite of relational attachment and affection for the most appropriate context of sexual activity
But are there gender differences?

5. Gender Differences
On average, men tend to be more permissive in their sexual attitudes than women
But this also depends on the attitude measured
One of the largest differences is on casual premarital sex
Men are more likely to enjoy sex w/o intimacy
This difference has decreased over time (but what has changed?)

6. Most Americans strongly disapprove of extramarital affairs
Men have somewhat more permissive attitudes towards them (Oliver & Hyde, 1993)
Cultural sexual attitudes
Sexual double standards
“Studs” and “sluts”
What does the research say?

7. Women who were described as sexually active were not evaluated more negatively than women who not described as sexually active (Gentry, 1998)
In this study, sexually active women were seen as more liberal and assertive

8. Men prefer potential spouses to be less sexually permissive
But they favor permissive dating partners
Women prefer both potential dating partners and spouses to be less permissive (Oliver & Sedikides, 1992)

9. Attitudes about homosexuality
1973 – 81% of Americans believed that homosexual sex was “always or almost always wrong”
1996 – 62% thought it was “always or almost always wrong” (NORC)

10. Attitudes about homosexuality extend past the act of sex itself
More than half of Americans object to the “homosexual lifestyle” (Turque, 1992)
Gay and lesbian relationships are assumed by many to be dysfunctional and unhappy
Not supported by research (Peplau, Veniegas, & Campbell, 1996)

11. Attitudes may continue to become more positive
More high-visibility gays and lesbians
Will & Grace, Ellen DeGeneres, Sheryl Swoopes
Civil unions in California
Personal contact with a gay or lesbian person may promote positive attitudes towards homosexuals (Herek & Glunt, 1993) (reciprocal influence)

12. Sexual behavior First time for sex?
Approx. 16 for males and 17 for females
African-American males (14) earlier than whites or Latinos
The general trend had been toward earlier experiences
But rates of adolescent virginity have increased

13. Adolescent reasons for and against having sex
Express love and affection for partner
Curiosity
Peer pressure/want to please partner

14. Reasons against: Potential for pregnancy, AIDS, STDs Moral beliefs
Have not experiences sufficient love with partner
Feelings of insecurity or inadequacy (men)

15. Predictors of first-time sex
Premarital sex is associated with:
Confidence about being popular and attractive to the opposite sex
A positive and accepting view of oneself
More experiences involving stressful physical or family related events
Girls without a father present; boys whose families change from intact to being without a father
Desire to achieve “adult status”
Teenagers who place greater emphasis on independence

16. Sex in committed relationships
Frequency (Call, Sprecher, & Schwartz, 1995)
Couples co-habiting: 3 times/week
Married couples: 2 times/week
Both have sex more frequently than single people
Older people have sex less frequently
Decreased hormone levels
Interest may decrease (“sexual habituation”)

17. After 10 years heterosexual couples have more sex than gay couples
Sexual orientation
Initially gay men have more sex than lesbian or heterosexual couples
After 10 years heterosexual couples have more sex than gay couples
Lesbians have sex less frequently than the other couples regardless of relationship duration

18. Infidelity Recall Americans’ attitudes toward extramarital sex
25% of married men and 15% of married women report extramarital sex at least once (Laumann et al., 1994)
Predictors?

19. Gender
Men are more likely to have an affair and are more accepting of nonmonogamy in general
Gay men are most likely to report an instance of extradyadic sex

20. Computer dating video experiment (Seal et al., 1995) Equity theory
Sociosexuality
A general orientation toward sex as either requiring commitment or not
Computer dating video experiment (Seal et al., 1995)
Equity theory
Underbenefitted people report more affairs (Walster, Traupmann, & Walster, 1978)
Replicated for wives by Prins, Buunk, and VanYperen (1993)

21. Sexual satisfaction
Almost 90% of respondents said they were “very” or “extremely” physically satisfied with their sexual relationships (National Health and Social Life Survey, 1994)
Numbers were somewhat higher for married couples
Other studies have found married couples to be quite satisfied with their sex lives (e.g. Lawrence & Byers, 1995; Oggins, Loeber, & Veroff, 1993)

22. Sexual satisfaction is associated with relationship satisfaction
Sexual satisfaction is closely tied to sexual frequency (Blumstein & Schwartz, 1983)
89% of married couples having sex 3 times/week or more reported sexual satisfaction
Only 32% of spouses having sex once a month or less felt the same satisfaction
Sexual satisfaction is associated with relationship satisfaction
May be the correspondence between desired and actual frequency
May be more sex than arguments (remember Gottman)

23. Exchange theories Rewards Costs
The degree of comfort with your partner
How you feel about yourself during or after sex
Physical sensations
Costs
Having sex when you or your partner is not in the mood
Lack of spontaneity
Infrequency

24. More rewards than costs, and having expectations met lead to greater sexual satisfaction (Lawrence & Byers, 1995)
Partners in equitable relationships report going further sexually
Participants in equitable relationships reported more sexual satisfaction (Traupmann, Hatfield, & Wexler, 1983)

25. Sexual communication Verbally Nonverbally
Kissing, touching, dressing attractively
Other indirect strategies?
Men are more likely to initiate sexual activity
The most common strategy for acceptance is simply not resisting (Hickman & Muehlenhard, 1999)

26. People often have difficulty expressing specific sexual desires
More likely to talk about likes than dislikes
Sexual self-disclosure is highest when partner reciprocates
Clear communication about likes and dislikes is associated with greater sexual satisfaction
Greater subjective quality of experience

27. Sexual miscommunication
Sexual aggression
May be that if a man perceives a woman as sexy he hears “yes” even when she says no
Aggressive men may selectively ignore resistance and use miscommunication as an excuse for rape (Warshaw, 1994)

28. Kinsey Questions
Do you think that Kinsey made a contribution to the field of human sexuality?
Do you agree or disagree with his methods? Why?
Can you think of some alternative ways to study human sexuality?