Comprehensive Feminist Perspectives on Sexuality, Violence, and Social Justice

What does sex positivity advocate for?

Acceptance of a variety of sexual desires and consensual sexual acts.

What are sexual scripts?

Descriptions of behaviors that reflect beliefs about what is 'normal' sexual behavior in a given culture.

How do sexual scripts influence behavior?

They provide a roadmap for expected sexual behaviors, often reflecting heterosexual norms.

What is the charmed circle concept?

It depicts how sex acts are classified into categories of 'good' and 'bad' in Western culture.

What is compulsory heterosexuality?

The idea that the only 'appropriate' or 'normal' romantic and sexual behaviors are heterosexual.

What is queerbaiting?

When characters act in ways that suggest they will come out as LGBTQ+, but they never do.

What is performative bisexuality?

A sexual script where heterosexual women engage in sexual activities with other women for male enjoyment.

How is sex often defined in mainstream culture?

As penis-in-vagina intercourse with a male orgasm, often neglecting women's sexual pleasure.

What is the sexual double standard?

Women are judged more harshly than men for engaging in comparable sexual behaviors.

What is slut shaming?

Criticism of girls and women for their actual or presumed engagement in sexual behaviors.

What is the 'orgasm gap'?

The finding that heterosexual women are less likely to reach orgasm compared to men.

What is vaginismus?

A disorder causing involuntary spasms of vaginal muscles, making penetration painful or impossible.

What is affirmative consent?

Mutual, explicit, voluntary, active consent given before a sexual act, which can be withdrawn at any time.

What is sexual socialization?

The process of learning about sexuality through various sources, including parents and peers.

What are the two main types of sex education programs?

Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education.

What do comprehensive sex education programs focus on?

Communication, interpersonal skills training, and safer sex practices.

What is a major criticism of abstinence-only programs?

They are ineffective in encouraging abstinence and often leave out critical information.

How does media influence sexual attitudes?

It reinforces heteronormativity and largely ignores the sexual desires of girls and women.

What is the average age of first vaginal-penile intercourse for women?

17.8 years.

What is the average age of first vaginal-penile intercourse for men?

18.1 years.

What is the variability in defining 'losing virginity'?

It can differ greatly among individuals, with some defining it as distinct from first intercourse.

What role do peers play in sexual education?

Peers help fill in gaps left by parents and promote informed sexual behavior.

What is the impact of parental conversations on sexual agency?

Engaged and supportive conversations from parents can enhance girls' confidence and agency about their sexuality.

What is the significance of LGBTQ+ youth in sex education?

They often conceal dating activities from parents, making open communication about sex difficult.

What is the relationship between pornography and sexual education?

Pornography is increasingly common but can send problematic messages about sexuality.

What are common themes discussed in parental sex education?

Girls' responsibility for avoiding sexual encounters and consequences of intercourse.

What is the influence of media on adolescent sexual behavior?

Media can lead to greater sexual risk-taking and earlier sexual activity among adolescents.

What is the role of family in sexual socialization?

Family members, including peers and relatives, contribute to the sexual education of children.

What is the abstinence script?

It advocates delaying the loss of virginity.

What does the urgency script suggest about virginity?

It suggests that virginity is a stigma that must be shed to gain or maintain status among peers.

How does the management script view sexual behavior?

It portrays sexual behavior as inevitable and emphasizes managing related risks.

Define casual sex.

Sex outside of the context of a committed relationship.

What is a hookup?

Sexual activity between two people with no expectation of commitment.

What emotional outcomes are more common after a hookup?

Positive emotions are more common than negative emotions.

How do men and women differ in their emotional responses to hookups?

Men experience more positive and fewer negative emotions, while women are more likely to regret casual sex encounters.

What impact does feeling pressured to hook up have on women?

It can lead to lower self-esteem and increased depression and anxiety.

Which group has higher rates of hookup enjoyment?

Women who hook up with other women.

What is the relationship between heavy drinking and hookups?

Hookups that occur due to heavy drinking are more likely to lead to sexual victimization.

Do hookups often lead to romantic relationships?

Very few hookups actually lead to a romantic relationship.

What is sexual desire?

The drive or wish to engage in sexual activity or achieve sexual intimacy.

What is the level of knowledge about the vagina among women?

Knowledge about the vagina is generally low among women.

What is the clitoral knowledge related to?

It is related to increased rates of orgasm during masturbation.

What is the orgasm gap?

The phenomenon where women report lower rates of orgasm than men.

How does the orgasm gap differ among women who have sex with women?

The orgasm gap is considerably smaller, indicating issues with heterosexual scripts.

What factors predict orgasm frequency in women?

Sexual assertiveness, comfort in discussing sex, and communicating desires.

What is coerced sex?

When someone is verbally pressured to have sex but ultimately consents.

What is compliant sex?

When someone agrees to have sex but does not actually want to.

What factors can maintain desire in long-term relationships?

Individual factors, emotional intimacy, communication, and societal attitudes about sex.

What societal factors contribute to low sexual desire in women partnered with men?

Inequitable divisions of household labor, blurring of partner and mother roles, objectification of women, and gender norms.

Define cognitive distraction in sexual encounters.

A shift of focus from personal feelings to worrying about a partner's perception.

What is sexualization?

The imposition of sexuality on others and valuing people merely for their sexual appeal.

What percentage of women on prime-time television are portrayed in sexually objectifying ways?

45.5% of women.

What is self-sexualization?

Engaging in behaviors associated with sexualization to gain positive attention.

What is sexual agency?

Comfort and control over one's own sexuality.

What is sexual assertiveness?

The ability to ask for what one wants and refuse what one doesn't want in a sexual encounter.

What are some ways women can reclaim their sexuality?

Questioning social norms, engaging in collective action, and advocating for comprehensive sex education.

What are the benefits of having a strong friendship network?

Increased life satisfaction, improved health, better academic achievement, and mitigation of discrimination effects.

What is social support?

A feeling of being cared for and having assistance from family, friends, and partners.

What are the three types of social support?

Informational, instrumental, and emotional support.

What is active constructive responding?

A positive interaction pattern that involves enthusiastic responses and follow-up questions.

What is co-rumination?

Extensively discussing problems and dwelling on negatives, which can have negative consequences.

What do cross-identity friendships promote?

Flexibility in thinking by offering new perspectives.

Who is less likely to form cross-identity friendships?

Individuals with socially privileged identities.

What increases the likelihood of developing cross-group friendships?

Community diversification.

What traits are associated with having cross-identity friendships?

Valuing less similarity and being more open.

What type of friendships do people tend to have more of?

Same-gender friends.

What is relational aggression?

Damaging others' existing or potential relationships and/or social status.

Which gender is more likely to engage in relational aggression?

Girls/women.

What type of aggression are boys/men more likely to engage in?

Physical aggression.

What is identity-based bullying?

Aggression directed toward people who are actual or perceived members of a devalued social group.

What are some groups often targeted by identity-based bullying?

LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and marginalized racial/ethnic identities.

What is compulsory monogamy?

The expectation that everyone should strive to find one partner who can exclusively fulfill all desires.

What can result from overvaluing one relationship?

Significant relational stress.

What is the principle of least interest?

The person who wants a relationship less has greater power within that relationship.

What behaviors predict healthy relationships?

Sharing possessions, spending time together, showing affection, and using conflict management.

What behaviors predict poor relationship outcomes?

Ceding control, engaging in destructive conflict, and avoiding conflict.

What are mate retention behaviors?

Controlling behaviors that serve to keep a partner away from potential rivals.

What is the impact of media portrayals of romance?

Unrealistic beliefs about relationships and decreased satisfaction in viewers' romantic relationships.

What are dating scripts?

Descriptions of supposedly 'normal' behaviors in the context of a date, often heteronormative.

What is the difference between polygamy and polyamory?

Polygamy involves one husband having many wives, while polyamory involves consensual romantic relationships with multiple partners.

What percentage of individuals in the US are involved in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships?

4-5%.

What are some benefits of marriage?

Social support, better mental and physical health, increased earnings, and access to benefits.

What is the second shift in the context of labor division?

Women coming home from their jobs and doing another round of work in the home.

How does having children affect the division of labor?

Mothers do about twice as much childcare as fathers.

What is a common stereotype about male friendships?

They are competitive, more action-oriented, and less relational than female friendships.

What is the impact of relational aggression in society?

It can have serious consequences and is often rewarded in certain aspects of society.

What is the impact of alternating days of care on couples?

Couples who agreed to alternating days of care showed more egalitarianism and had the best outcomes for overall well-being and job performance.

What type of work do women primarily take on in households?

Women take on greater mental load and significantly more emotion work than men.

What is emotion work?

Tasks that make other people feel loved and cared for.

How do feminist scholars view the division of domestic labor?

They highlight the interactions of sex/gender with class, race, ethnicity, and citizenship status.

What is stratified reproduction?

The unequal situation in which those with more resources have greater autonomy and choice regarding reproductive choices.

What is the reproductive justice movement?

A feminist movement centering around the rights to have a child, not have a child, and parent children in safe environments.

What does the relative resources theory suggest?

The person who brings more resources to a relationship can avoid doing chores.

How does gender deviance neutralization affect domestic labor?

People acting in a gender atypical way in one domain may overcompensate by acting in a gender-stereotypical way in another domain.

What are the consequences of inequitable divisions of labor?

Lower marital and sexual satisfaction, especially if women perceive the division as unfair.

What is the motherhood mandate?

The social pressures, especially on women, to have children.

What is voluntary childlessness?

The choice not to have children.

What is the trend regarding childlessness in recent years?

Childlessness, both voluntary and otherwise, is on the rise.

What was the significance of Roe v. Wade?

It made abortion legal in the United States in 1973.

What was the outcome of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization?

It overturned Roe v. Wade, giving states the power to regulate abortion.