Sociology SIXTEENTH EDITION Chapter 8 Sexuality and Society

Sociology SIXTEENTH EDITION Chapter 8 Sexuality and Society Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Learning Objectives (1 of 2) 8. 1 Describe how sexuality is both a biological and a cultural issue. 8. 2 Explain changes in sexual attitudes in the United States. 8. 3 Analyze factors that shape sexual orientation. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Learning Objectives (2 of 2) 8. 4 Discuss several current controversies involving sexuality. 8. 5 Apply sociology's major theories to the topic of sexuality. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Understanding Sexuality: What Is…? • Sex • Biological distinction between females and males Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Culture and Attractiveness (1 of 2) • Culture sets the standards for attractiveness. • Attractiveness underlies our choices about reproduction. • All of the people pictured here are considered beautiful by members of their own society. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Culture and Attractiveness (2 of 2) • Sexually active students were linked to each other through networks of common partners much more than anyone might have expected. In all, common partners linked half of the sexually active students, as shown in the diagram. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A Biological Issue: What Is…? • Primary sex characteristics – Organs used for reproduction • Secondary sex characteristics – Bodily development that distinguishes mature males and females Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sex and the Body: What Is…? • Intersexual people (hermaphrodites) – Possessing some combination of female and male genitalia • Transsexuals – People who feel emotionally linked to one sex, but are biologically the other – Often expressed feeling is “trapped in the body of the wrong sex” – Disregard conventional ideas about how males and females look and behave Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sex and the Body • We are used to thinking of sex as a clear-cut issue of being or male. • But transsexual people do not fit such simple categories. • In 2008, Thomas Beatie, age 34, became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl; since then, he has given birth to two additional children. • Beatie, who was born a woman, had surgery to remove his breasts and legally • changed his sex to bear children. • What is your response to cases such as this? Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sex: A Cultural Issue (1 of 2) • Cultural variation – Showing affection and sexual position – Notions of modesty – Restrictions placed upon openness Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sex: A Cultural Issue (2 of 2) • The incest taboo – – Found in every society Forbidding sexual relations between relatives Rooted in biology Necessary element of social organization in human species Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sex: A Cultural Issue Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Sexual Revolution (1 of 5) • Over the course of the past century, social attitudes in the United States have become more accepting of most aspects of human sexuality. • What do you see as some of the benefits of this greater openness? • What are some of the negative consequences? Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Sexual Revolution (2 of 5) • Profound changes in sexual attitudes and practices – 1920 s: Roaring Twenties – 1948: Kinsey research Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Sexual Revolution (3 of 5) • 1960 s: A new openness toward sexuality – Birth-control pills – Double standard challenged • Premarital and extramarital sex – Men and women almost equal in premarital sex – American youth broadly accept premarital sex – 75% of men & 90% of women remain faithful Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Sexual Revolution Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Sexual Revolution (4 of 5) • Although a larger share of men than women report having had two or more sexual partners by age twenty, the sexual revolution greatly reduced this gender difference. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Sexual Revolution: Sex over the Life Course • Patterns of change with age – By mid-twenties, about 90% of both women and men report being sexually active with a partner at least once during the past year – Young adults report the highest frequency of sexual intercourse at eighty-four times per year. – This number falls to sixty-four times for adults in their forties and declines further to about ten times per year for adults in their seventies. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Attitudes in the US • The sexual counterrevolution – – The return to family values and sexual responsibility Limited partners STDs Premarital sex Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Orientation: What Is…? (1 of 2) • Heterosexuality – “Hetero: ” The other of two sexual attraction to someone of the other sex. • Homosexuality – “Homo: ”The same sexual attraction to someone of the same sex Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Orientation: What Is…? (2 of 2) • Bisexuality – Strong attraction to both sexes • Asexualiy – Lack of sexual attraction to people of either sex Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Orientation (1 of 2) • Roots of sexual orientation – Mounting biological evidence for genetics – Social influences cannot be discounted Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Orientation (2 of 2) • One factor that has advanced the social acceptance of homosexuality is the inclusion of openly gay characters in the mass media, especially films and television shows. • In the popular musical-drama series Glee, Chris Colferplays Kurt Hummel, who came out as being gay during the first season of the show. • How would you assess the portrayal of homosexuality in the mass media? Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Gay Rights Movement • Public attitudes moving toward greater acceptance • Homosexuality no longer defined as an illness • Use of term homophobia • Gay marriage legalized in some states Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Controversies • Teen pregnancy – U. S. has highest rate compared to other highincome countries. • Pregnancy among unmarried teenage women, once a social taboo, has become part of the mass media. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Controversies Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Controversies: Pornography • Pornography – Pornography is sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal. – Supreme Court gives local communities the power to what violates community standards. – Pornography in the U. S. is $10 billion/year industry. – Pornography is criticized for moral and political reasons. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Controversies: Prostitution • Prostitution – Selling of sexual services • Social and cultural ties – Most common in poor countries where: § Patriarchy is strong § Opportunities to earn a living are restricted Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Prostitution • Types of prostitution – “Call girls” – Workers in controlled parlors – “Street walkers” • A “victimless crime? ” – Police stage only occasional crackdowns. – The sex trade subjects many women to kidnapping, emotional abuse, and violence Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Violence and Abuse (1 of 3) • Myths about rape – Rape always involves strangers. – Women provoke their attackers. – Rape is simply sex. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Violence and Abuse (2 of 3) • Rape – A violent act that uses sex to hurt, humiliate, or control another person – Expression of power, not sex – About 12% of high school girls and 5% of high school boys reported being forced into having sexual intercourse against their will Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sexual Violence and Abuse (3 of 3) • Date rape (or acquaintance rape) – Forcible sexual violence against women by men they know – Accounts for 70% of all rape – High danger on college campuses Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

When Sex Is Only Sex: The Campus Culture of “Hooking Up” • Student responses to the survey suggest that hookups have three characteristics. • First, most couples who hook up know little about each other. • Second, a typical hookup involves people who have been drinking alcohol, usually at a campus party. • Third, most women are critical of the culture of hooking up and express little satisfaction with these encounters. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Theories of Sexuality (1 of 2) • Structural-functional analysis – Need to regulate sexual behavior – Latent functions • Evaluation – helps us see the important part sexuality plays in the organization of society. – Sometimes ignore gender Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Theories of Sexuality (2 of 2) • Symbolic-interaction analysis – The social construction of sexuality – Sexual practices vary from culture to culture. • Evaluation – Constructed character of familiar social patterns revealed. – Not all sexual practices are so variable so broader social structure may be missed. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Social Conflict and Feminist Theories • Social-conflict analysis – Highlights dimensions of inequality – Shows how sexuality reflects patterns of social inequality and helps perpetuate them – Queer theory • Evaluation – Shows that sexuality is both a cause and effect of inequality – Suggests that many people do not see sexuality as a power issue Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Applying Theory Sexuality Structural-Functional Theory Symbolic-Interaction Theory Social-Conflict and Feminist Theories Macro-level Micro-level Macro-level What is the importance Society depends on sexuality of sexuality for society? for reproduction. Society uses the incest taboo and other norms to control sexuality in order to maintain social order. Sexual practices vary among the many cultures of the world. Some societies allow individuals more freedom than others in matters of sexual behavior. Sexuality is linked to social inequality. U. S. society regulates women’s sexuality more than men’s, which is part of the larger pattern of men dominating women. Has sexuality changed over time? How? Yes. The meanings people attach to virginity and other sexual matters are all socially constructed and subject to change. Yes and no. Some sexual standards have relaxed, but society still defines women in sexual terms, just as homosexual people are harmed by society’s heterosexual bias. What is the level of analysis? Yes. As advances in birth control technology separate sex from reproduction, societies relax some controls on sexuality. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Abortion Controversy • Roe v. Wade (1973) – Established legal access to abortion • Pro-choice – Supports a woman's right to choose abortion • Pro-life – Opposes abortion as morally wrong • Circumstances of the pregnancy – Makes a big difference in how people see this issue Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Abortion Controversy Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved