SOC 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Asexuality, Virginity, Sex Education
31 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
SEXUALITY AND SOCIETY
Understanding Sexuality
• Sex: a biological issue
o Sex and the body
▪ Primary sex characteristics
• The genitals, organs used for reproduction
▪ Secondary sex characteristics
• Bodily development, apart from the genitals, that distinguishes
biologically mature males and females
o Intersexual people
▪ People whose bodies, including genitals, have both male and female
characteristics
o Transsexual and transgendered people
▪ People who feel they are one sex even though biologically they are the
other
• Sex: a cultural issue
o Cultural variation
▪ Showing affection
• Ie kissing in public vs private
▪ Sexual positions and practices
▪ Regulation of openness and timing of sexuality also varies
• Ie china- no sexual intercourse before marriage
o The incest taboo
▪ The norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain
relatives is found in every society
• Why
o Biology
▪ Reproduction between close relatives raises the
odds of producing offspring with genetic diseases
Sexual Attitudes
• Sex=what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms
• Do what you wat ut do’t har ayoe
o Sexual revolution (1960-1970 peak)
▪ Sex is normal
o Sexual counter revolution (1980)
▪ Be conservative
• Sex between adults
o Frequency in Canada
▪ Rarely/never=24%
▪ 1-3 times per month=23%
▪ at least once per week=53%
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