PSY 388 03 4 FLUIDITY OF SEXUALITY Women s sexuality tends to be more fluid and capable of changing over time Social and cultural factors may influence women s sexuality o Living in same sex institutions is linked to increased likelihood of same sex erotic relationship between women Does fluidity mean that all women are bisexual Or that they do not have sexual orientation o No o Sexual fluidity is seen as a component of women s sexuality in line with their sexual orientation o Sexual orientation is not the only factor determining her attraction Does fluidity mean that sexual orientation is a matter of choice o No o Women report changes shifts in their sexual response are unexpected and beyond their control o Findings suggest that reparative therapy does not work Reparative therapy is not effective If someone is homosexual they are homosexual You can t change their preference through strategic methods Changes in attitude behavior consistency in sexuality is greater for women than men o Women are more likely to have sex when they do not feel like it or to have sex when they do feel like it o Inconsistent in their reports of sexual feelings identifications and actions WOMEN SEXUAL ORIENTATION Women are more likely to change their sexual identity o Heterosexual identity to lesbian identity o Lesbian to heterosexual or bisexual identity o Less common in men MEASURING SEXUAL ACTIVITY What is the best way to study sexual activity o Most studies use self report surveys and interviews WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES TO THIS SURVEY METHOD No way to verify that individual is being honest in their self report They may not understand correctly what is being asked thus they may not respond appropriately They may not remember They may distort exaggerate the truth PSY 388 03 o We may see this when we ask how many partners a man woman has had a man may exaggerate where a woman may underestimate Distort reality exaggerating or denying sexual activity Unable to remember accurately events that are long past Issues estimating frequencies and time spent in certain activities Issues in generalizing results for sexual activity behavior to the general population Volunteer participants tend to be more experienced and less inhibited in their sex lives than most people SEXUAL ACTIVITY HETEROSEXUAL INTERCOURSE 1940 Kinsey Film available on this study o Premarital sexual intercourse by age 25 o 33 women o 71 men 1970 Hunt o 67 women o 97 men 2005 Mosher Anjani Jones 2005 by age 24 o 92 women o 89 men o 3 men and women had oral sex but not intercourse SEXUAL ACTIVITY YOUTH In the U S 25 of adolescents have had intercourse by age 15 Women s sexual attitudes and behaviors have changed more than young men s over time o Men women became more approving of sexual activity but strongest changes seen among women o 1970 s First intercourse age 19 women o 1990 s age 15 o 1950 s 13 sexually active o 1990 s 47 sexually activity o 1970 s 44 had engaged in oral sex o 1990 s 69 Men women aged 30 44 o 6 8 female sexual partners in their lifetime men o 4 male sexual partners women SEXUALITY ACTIVITY BY ETHNICITY RACE Women ages 15 44 15 or more male sexual partners o Latina 4 PSY 388 03 Men ages 15 44 15 or more female sexual partners o European American 10 o African American 9 o Latino 18 o European American 22 o African American 34 INTERCOURSE REASONS REACTIONS Why Women affection Men curiosity Reactions Reactions after intercourse Women negative emotions o Guilt o Sorrow o Disappointment Men positive emotions o Excitement o Joyful o Maturity MARRIED SEX Married couples in mid 20 s o 2 3x per week o Frequency declines over years o Both men women express high levels of marital sex satisfaction but women report slightly less satisfaction Extramarital sex o Many men women who have had extramarital sex have done so with only o 80 of women 65 85 of men of all ages report having no 1 partner extramarital affairs HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY Kinsey s Report 1948 o 1 out of 3 men 37 o 1 out of 8 women 13 Had at least one homosexual experience leading to orgasm Hunt s Report 1974 o 1 out of 4 men 20 25 o 1 out of 10 women 10 o 1 out of 4 unmarried women 20 Mosher 2005 their lifetime o Women aged 15 44 11 o Men aged 15 44 6 reported having oral or anal sex with another men in PSY 388 03 Gender differences in homosexual behavior are similar to those of heterosexual o Males report more homosexual sexual activities with more partners than o Females are more likely to want to be involved in long term emotionally females do close relationship GENDER MASTURBATION In Kinsey s and Hunt s report almost all males reported masturbating and only 1 3 of females reported having masturbated Males masturbate at an earlier age o Masturbation manipulation of the genitals to produce sexual pleasure Masturbation may be linked to level of orgasm o Women who do not masturbate may have difficulty in reaching orgasm o Why do you think this is SEXUAL ORIENTATION Sexual orientation sexual partner preference Heterosexual straight Homosexual men gay women lesbian Bisexual likes same sex and opposite sex partners both Many myths stereotypes on homosexuality bisexuality used to justify discrimination How so Homosexuals can t raise children Heterosexual male can t have a gay friend because he may get hit on Bisexual is not real it s just a phase