Transcript Sexual identity

Sexualities
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By late-19th and early 20th centuries
Two major categories of sexuality
developed:
1. Heterosexual
2. Homosexual
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Sexual identity:
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Set of sexual practices and attitudes
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Formation of identity as heterosexual,
homosexual, or bisexual
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Helps define who we are
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Sexual Acts: Socially approved & socially
disapproved activities
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Approved within marriage to procreate
Disapproved (all other sexual acts)
 Sexual acts always existed
 Sexual identities did not
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1868, Early sex-law reformer, Karl Maria Kertbeny
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Created and first used four new terms:
1. Monosexual--Masturbation
2. Homosexual--Erotic acts performed by men
with men and women with women
3. Heterosexual--Erotic acts of men and women
with each other
4. Heterogenit-- Erotic acts with animals
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Heterosexual or “Normal sexualitat”
 Most of the population
 Strongest sex drive (Uncontrolled)
 "unfettered capacity for degeneracy”
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Procreative (natural) & non-procreative
sex (unnatural)
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 Non-procreative sex
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Homosexual behavior
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Masturbation (self-defilement)
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Sexual assault of male & female minors
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Incest
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Bestiality
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First known appearance of ”homosexual” in
print:
 1869 pamphlet by Austrian-born
novelist Karl-Maria Kertbeny
 Human rights activist
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Karl-Maria Kertbeny:
Against adoption of "unnatural fornication" or
anti-sodomy law in Germany
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Believed law violated human rights
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Men should be free to do with their bodies as
they pleased
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 As long as others were not harmed
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Believed attraction to same sex was inborn and
unchangeable
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Kertbeny's terms categorized people & acts
based on:
Erotic character of the acts and
Biological sex of person with whom they were
interacting
Major paradigm shift from the
procreative/non-procreative standard
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In 1886, Richard von Krafft-Ebing used
terms homosexual and heterosexual in his
book Psychopathia Sexualis
 Diagnosis for mental illness
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Krafft-Ebing's book very popular
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Heterosexual" & "homosexual" became most
widely accepted terms for sexual orientation
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Emergence of “Heterosexuality” & “Homosexuality”
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Opposite sex attraction considered normal
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Beginning in late 19th century, homosexual person
was thought to be mentally ill
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Homosexuals labeled mentally ill until 1973
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1973 American Psychiatric Association removed
homosexuality from list of mental disorders
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 The Social Constructionist
Perspective
 The Integrative Perspective
 Queer Theory
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Social constructionist perspective:
Human sexuality entirely socially constructed
 Male and female sexual roles are preferred
Integrative perspective:
Sexuality determined by both social &
biological factors
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Kinsey report – 1948 bestseller based on thousands
of interviews with men and women
 Half of men in his sample reported erotic feelings
towards men
 One-third had at least one sexual experience with
another man
 Kinsey concluded that 10% of males were “more or
less exclusively homosexual”
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 For at least 3 years between ages 16-55
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Human sexual identities determined by both
social and biological factors
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Some twin studies link genetics to sexual
orientation
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Disagreement:
 How much society determines sexual identities
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Identities are:
Shifting
Unstable
Arbitrary
Not meaningful to label people:
Gay
Lesbian
Heterosexual
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Challenge to conventional understanding of
sexuality
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Not a scientific theory but a critical standpoint
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Views sexual life as artificially organized into
categories
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Reflecting the power of heterosexual norms
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1. Inequalities based on labels are
oppressive
2. Boundaries of sexual identities are more
fluid than people think they are
3. Categories often based on “morality”
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Some sociologists question concept of family
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http://www.slideshare.net/MrG/same-sex-marriage-ppt
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Emerging families include:
Friends and relatives that gays construct as
“family” for intimacy and care
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Family of choice:
Formed through voluntary ties among
individuals not biologically or legally related
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Definition of LAT:
Couples who cohabit or have marriagelike relationships, but live in separate
households
 Heterosexual or homosexual, married or
unmarried
 Two types of LAT:
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 Constraint (e.g., job related)
 Choice (preferred living arrangement)
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Flexibility allows people to:
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Give and receive care
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That fits their preferences & constraints
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Three eras of sexuality and marriage
1. Before 1890 - Sex was only for procreation
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2. From 1890 to 1960 - Sexual attraction and
romantic love acceptable
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3. From 1960 to today -Rationale for
restricting sex to married couples is
weakened
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Extramarital sex – Sexual activity by
married person with someone other than
his or her spouse
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Sexual monogamy – Having one sexual
partner
 Still the norm
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 Women report more frequent sex
before marriage now than in the past
 Men’s frequency did not appear to
change much
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Trends
 Modest decline in sexual behavior occurred in
1990s
▪ Particularly with males
▪ Condom use increased
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Adolescent sexual activity more common now than
in mid 20th century
 For males and females—very similar today
 Greatest increase occurred in 1970s and 1980s
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One consequence of cultural changes in
sexuality is:
Increase in childbirth outside of marriage
Adolescents are more sexually active
People are marrying later
 Increases stage of life when young adults
can have children outside marriage
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Although only 13% of teens have ever had
vaginal sex by age 15
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Sexual activity is common by the late teen
years
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By their 19th birthday, seven in 10 teens of
both sexes have had intercourse
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On average, young people have sex for the
first time at about age 17
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Do not marry until their mid-20s
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Young adults at increased risk of unplanned
pregnancy
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And sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for
nearly a decade
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Teens waiting longer to have sex than in the
recent past
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In 2006–2008:
11% of never-married females aged 15–19
and 14% of never-married males that age had
had sex before age 15
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Compared with 19% and 21%, respectively, in
1995
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However, after substantial declines in the
proportion of teens who had ever had sex
between 1995 and 2002
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The level did not change significantly from
2002 to 2006–2008
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In 2006–2008, most common reasons sexually
inexperienced teens gave for not having had
sex was:
First, “against religion or morals” (42% among
females and 35% among males)
Second and Third most common reasons for
females were:
“don’t want to get pregnant”
“haven’t found the right person yet.”
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What is the “Problem”?
 Marriage rates have decreased faster than
birthrates
 Lack of marriage before birth
▪5 of 6 adolescents that get pregnant are
not married
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Complete fewer years of education
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Have low paying jobs
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More likely to depend on public
assistance
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Less likely to have stable marriages
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