Blog Entry 4 - 2/12/07

According to Risman and Schwartz article, what are the main trends in sexual activity among teens? How do the authors explain these trends? According to England and Thomas, what are the main trends in romantic and sexual behavior among college students? What gender differences are documented in both of these articles? Compare these authors' observations to your own high school and college experiences.

The Effects of the Sexual Revolution

England and Thomas set out to document what appeared to be a national trend at colleges since the 1980s–the decline of dating and the rise of the “hook up.” According to the students surveyed, the traditional date on campuses is currently almost non-existent and “dating” now refers to activities of couples who are in a romantic relationship. Students get to know each other by “hanging out” instead of by dating. Subsequently, hook ups occur when a twosome goes somewhere private, usually following a lot of drinking, and implies that something sexual took place. The research revealed that a series of hook-ups may lead to an exclusive relationship or simply “friends with benefits” in which sex is the main object of being together. The surveys indicated that it was a popular choice to establish exclusive relationships, a status that was officially determined by the “define the relationship” talk.

In general, cultural changes have allowed women the option of more sexual behavior than in the past without being negatively labeled “easy” or promiscuous. Despite this change, the “double standard” still exists, where women say that too many hookups give them a bad name, while men seem to gain status for the same number of hook ups. It may very well be related that women showed more interest in having hook ups progress into relationships than men and preferred to limit sexual intercourse to relationships more than men. Hook up culture is problematic for women who want relationships before sexual intimacy. According to this study, it is more common for relationships to start after multiple hook ups, rather than a traditional date. Cohabitation is more readily accepted for both men and women outside of marriage which has led to later marriages.

In the article by Risman and Schwartz surface two of the same themes as England and Thomas’ study. First, both reports agree that the double standard is alive and well–young women worry about being judged negatively about sexual behavior while men do not. Second, young people generally do not believe that marriage is necessary to be sexually active. Girls, however, feel more comfortable today about having sex if they are in a steady relationship, and a decrease in boys’ sexual activity is likely to be related to the young women’s increased control over the conditions for intercourse. Male teens are more likely to have a first intimate relationship with a girlfriend rather than a one night stand. Risman and Schwartz report that the percentage of sexually active teens is slightly down but disagree with the consensus of the mass media that it is indicative of a sexual counterrevolution. Risman and Schwartz found that youth are behaving more responsibly when sexually active, which explains the decline in teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. The surveys revealed that Americans accept sex outside of marriage for adults but not as readily for teens. Teen sex is regarded as irresponsible and immoral, while the writers note that ironically, teens are bombarded with a culture that uses sex to sell products targeted toward them.

The fact that hook ups occur primarily after heavy drinking indicates the activity is often part of “party behavior” and perhaps peer pressure, and not for everyone. The article does mention the fact that although such activity characterizes mainstream campus culture, there are individuals who do not buy into the instant gratification factor and for a number of reasons may prefer a more gradual approach to sex. College campuses, and specifically coed dorms, clearly provide a convenient milieu for hook up activity. This raises the question of whether dating is still the norm outside the campus. The Risman/Schwartz article about teen sex seems to answer that question affirmatively. They find that teens support sex within relationships, although a “relationship” could be as short as two weeks. The Risman /Schwartz research finds that college women believe that affectionate sex is acceptable for both sexes but that nearly none support the right to casual sex, which tends to contradict the prevalence of hook ups as reported by England and Thomas. Both articles, however, confirm that the sexual revolution was successful and that the connection between sex and marriage has been irrevocably severed. Young people have become more informed about birth control, sexually transmitted disease, practice safe sex more often, and both articles report that sex is taking place most often within steady relationships.

The statistics presented by Risman and Schwartz seem extreme compared to what I observed in high school, however, I was in a social group which most likely did not represent the norm. Most of my friends were single and non-sexually active. One of my friends who weaseled his way into the “cool” social group would report back stories he heard of various sexual encounters. It was always shocking to me that this was going on in students as young as 14 and 15. As early as 9^th grade, I remember the pregnancy scare of a girl who was often in my classes, and I could hardly comprehend that possibility. I must have been raised with very traditional values because the statistic which claims it is statistically atypical to still be a virgin at the end of the teen years is shocking to me. At college, I have become aware of the increased prevalence of sexual activity, but again seemed to make friends who are not part of it. It is a common occurrence for someone to be kicked out of his dorm room so his room mate can be alone with a “friend” or girlfriend, and I suspect there is a similar situation on the girls’ floors. I think this is unacceptable for the most part. According to England and Thomas, 47% of the college hookups started at a party, and large proportion involved varying degrees of alcohol consumption, two things I have very little to do with. Since I’m not part of the party/hook up culture, my knowledge of sexual activity on campus is limited.