textbook chapter 1

religion and sexuality

religion used to provide most of the information people had about sexuality

• ex. 15th century christians believed that wet dreams resulted from intercourse with tiny spiritual creatures called incubi and succubi 

paul

gay anglican priest whose sexuality was never outwardly mentioned but everyne lowkey knew he was gay which impeded his career

online sexuality activity

• 86% of men and 39% of females have viewed erotic content online

• 25% of men and 13% of women have engaged in sexual activity with a partner online

• 10% of youth have experienced solitication online but most of them remove themselves from the situation nowadays so there is more online safety nowadays than the past because of safety talks

indigenous peoples and sexuality

more egalitarian and sexually permissive before colonization

• women took the initiative

• premarital and extramarital sex were acceptable

• adults and elders were open about sex to children

• lgbtq people were respected

• sex was a magical spiritual gift to humans

• courtship rules regulated premarital sex and guided young people

sexual attitudes of indigenous peoples today

influenced by judeo christian religion

• indigenous women experience high rates of negative sexual health outcomes

• high STI rate 

• unwanted pregnancy

• low birth weight infants 

• sexual violence

• limited access to sexual health testing and treatment info

• pressure on youth to have sex but low preparedness

multicultural communities

are influenced by their origin country and canadian culture

• less sexual activity with origin country identification 

• mainstream US youth engage in more risky sex

racial microaggressions

subtle insults directed at people of a particular race, often unconscious

cross cultural studies

• show us the variation that exists in human sexual behaviour and help us put our own standards and behaviour in perspective

• provide evidence concerning the importance of cultural learning in shaping our sexual behaviour

• shows us that sexual behaviour isnt just biological 

kissing cross culturally

• not present in 54% of countries

• romantic sexual kissing is absent in 87% of african cultures

• present in 100% of middle eastern cultures

sexual techniques

• some tribes in BC suck the lips and tongue of partner to kiss

• most societies engage in cunnilingus (eating out)

• some societies inflict pain such as biting off eyebrows, drawing blood, leaving scars

frequency of intercourse cross culturally

• irish natives of inis beag have lowest frequency of 1-2x a month

• mangaians report having sex several times a night

• santals of south asia report having sex 5x a day

sex in china

the first 4000 years of chinese history were very sexually open but the recent 1000 years have been very oppressive

• when communist government founded the peoples republic of china in 1949, it imposed a strict ban on sexually explicit materials

• anti porn law in 1985

• male homosexuality used to be recognized and was widespread across the upper classes (golden age of homosexuality) but then repressed

• started to be scandalous to hold hands and stuff

• not as oppressive today with larger cities being more liberalizing

• premarital and extramarital sex rates are low

• lgbtq discrimination is still high

yin and yang

used in china to talk about sexuality

• yin (female): negative, passive, weak, destructive

  • yin fu: vulva

• yang (male): positive, active, strong, constructive

  • yang ju: penis 

premarital sex

• marqueasans of eastern polynesia: young children engage in sexual experiences before puberty with 30-40 year old opposite sex people. mothers are proud if their daughters have many lovers

• siwans of egypt: remove girls clitoris for less sexual excitement, big honour culture, marriages around 12-13

extramarital sex

ranks second to incest as the most prohibited type of sexual contact

• allowed for men but not women when it is allowed

masturbation

• some societies encourage for youth and some dont

• almost all societies disapprove of adult masturbation but engage in it

• universal among men and women

• has sexual and emotional benefits later in life 

• positive self image

sex with same sex partners

overall trend is toward greater acceptance across the world with two rules

• same sex behaviours always occurs in society no matter the rules

• same sex activity is never the predominant form of sexual behaviour

standards of attractiveness

physical characteristics are important in all societies but region of body found attractive varies by culture

• shape and colour of eyes

• shape of ears

• appearance of external genitals 

• western society: men should be lean but muscular with faces showing strong brow and jaw lines

• chinese men: flat mouths that are in line with the rest of the face

• curvy women are more attractive than thin in most cultures

provincial differences in sexuality

not consistent differences from one province to the other except francophones in quebec

• more liberal

• more accepting of teen sex

• more positive about premarital, extramarital, and same sex relations

• less sex guilt in students

• more live in common law

US vs Canada

canada: more accepting of birth control, porn, premarital sex, lgbtq, extramarital sex

• lower teen pregnancy, sti and higher breastfeeding rates

cross species masturbation

all mammals can orgasm because they have a penis or clitoris

• masturbation is found among primates like monkeys and cetacea like dolphins

• monkeys can perform mouth genital sex on themselves

animal sexuality

basic mammalian heritage is bisexual

• anal intercourse is observed in some male primates

how are humans unique

• human females are able to engage in sexual behaviour during any phase of their hormonal cycle, not just when they are in “heat” like other species

• so human females are under less hormonal control 

nonsexual uses of sexual behaviour

• monkeys will masturbate a friend to pacify them

• baboons will use a sexual position to signal the end of a fight

• sexual behaviours can symbolize rank in a hierarchy 

• phallic aggression: male squirrel monkeys display their erect penis to other males 

• bonobos use sex for peacemaking

• rapists use sex as an expression of anger

• sex workers use sex for economic purposes

• couples use sex to make up

• could use sex to sleep with a high status person

• celebrate a special occasion, increase emotional connection, do someone a favour, wanting to feel loved

WHO sexual health definition

sexual physical health, sexual mental health, positive sexual relationships, both negative and positive rights

• all human beings have a right to basic sexual rights

• reproductive sex determination

• freedom from sexual violence

• right to sexual self expression

• right to access reproductive health care service 

• recieve sex education

• consent or not consent to marriage

• experiencing a safe sex life

• negative rights: freedom from violence

• positive rights: experiencing pleasure