Caitlain's Corner - From 1945 to the Present

Sex Education

From 1945 to the Present

1945 – Present

During this time, it has become accepted that early childhood experiences are important in relation to the development of a child’s future sexuality (largely as a result of Freud’s work). This idea is in direct contrast to earlier thinking that children should be treated as asexual beings (though we now see a trend back in that direction).

In 1963, Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique was published, giving voice to the modern feminist movement. In 1970, the White House Commission on Pornography and Obscenity found no real harm in sexually explicit material. President Richard Nixon refused to issue the report.

Theoretically, in the U. S. there is a separation of church and state, but legal debates about such subjects as abortion, access to sexual services, and other sexual behaviors have prompted some people to wonder about this separation. The formal restrictions on sexual behavior are much the same as they have been for a long time, but the behavior of many people indicates that they are not effective any longer (if they ever were).

Alfred Kinsey’s research on human sexual behavior in males and females provided a look at proportions of people engaging in many different sexual behaviors. The existence of such research findings had social influences that are being felt to this day.

Sexual themes in the mass media have become prominent. Almost any type of product can apparently make one attractive, make one smell better, have psychological benefits, or in some other way influence one’s sexuality. Magazines, television, radio all use sexual themes to sell products and attract viewers. In addition, magazines such as Playboy treat written and visual images about sexuality quite openly. In the 1950s, Elvis Presley became the first major rock 'n' roll star; television became a major influence on young Americans. Senator Joseph McCarthy portrayed sex education as part of a Communist plot to take over the U.S. Coed dormitories appeared on college campuses and bikini swimsuits swept the nation. Motels became popular, providing comfort for vacationing Americans, as well as for Americans seeking privacy for sexual relations.

More reliable contraceptives, especially the Pill, have been developed and accepted by large numbers of people. Today, there are so many reliable and relatively safe contraceptive means that planning for contraception or conception has become a simple matter for motivated people. However, until the early 1970s, it was still illegal for unmarried women to acquire contraceptives. It took an act of the U. S. Supreme Court to allow unmarried women the right to decide whether or not they wished to become pregnant.

The work of Masters and Johnson on human sexual response greatly contributed to knowledge about how we work sexually and what might go wrong. In addition to providing basic information about human functionality, their research has become the foundation for sexual counseling and methods for dealing with human sexual inadequacy.

Various experiments in living have been common, including communes, swinging, extended families and contract marriages, and trial marriages. Depending on one’s viewpoint, these experiments maybe signs of decaying family relationships or signs of the search for more positive, more vital human relationships.

Numerous researchers have contributed to our knowledge of human sexual behavior. For example, Zelnik and Kantner (180) reported that the incidence of premarital sexual activity for women aged 15-19 was around 30 percent in 1971, 43 percent is 1976, and 50 percent in 1979. Between 1976 and 1979 use of the pill and IUDs declined by 41 percent, while use of the withdrawal and rhythm methods rose by 86%. Although less effective contraceptive methods were being used in 1979, it was evident that more teenagers were using some contraceptive method in 1979.

Sarrel (1980) reported that over half of the men and women participating in a survey reported in Redbook said that sharing feelings was very important to their relationships. Seventy-five percent rated their current sexual relationships as good or excellent. Although not generally considered to be of statistical note because of their anecdotal nature, The Hite Report (1976) and The Hite Report on Male Sexuality (1981) provided information about male and female feelings about masturbation, orgasm, and sexual roles.

Wyatt, et. al. (1988) compared their data with Kinsey’s data which were about 40 years older. They reported that newer female subjects began intercourse earlier, were less likely to have a fiancé or a husband as their first sexual partner, reported a higher number of sexual partners, and participated in a broader range of sexual activities.

DeBuono (1990) concluded that the sexual behavior of college women changed very little from 1975 to 1989. He found no significant changes in the proportion of women who were sexually experienced, in the sexually active women’s average number of male partners, or in the proportion of women engaging in high risk sexual practices. However, the proportion of sexually experienced women who regularly used condoms rose from 6% in 1975 to 25% in 1989.

Data from the US Department of Health and Human Services (“Premarital Sexual Experience Among Adolescent Women, 1991) indicated that the proportion of adolescent women who reported having had premarital sex increased steadily from 28.6% in 1975, to 51.1% in 1988. The largest relative increase occurred among those aged 15. It also indicated that the initiation of sexual intercourse earlier in life is associated with an increased number of sexual partners and a greater risk of STDs.

In 1992, a USDHHS study (“Sexual Behavior Among High School Student”, 1992) found that 54.2% of all students in grades 9 – 12 reported having had sexual intercourse. And, also in 1992, the CDC reported that nearly one in five high school students had had for or more sex partners. In 1993, Benson reported that 50 percent of males and 20 percent of females reported having had sexual intercourse by the end of the 8th grade.

From 1970 to 1990, Americans witnessed: (1) a decrease in the marriage rate; (2) an increase in the divorce rate; (3) an increase in the birthrate for unmarried mothers (although the overall adolescent birthrate decreased); (4) an increase in single-parent families; and (5) an increase in married couples without children at home (Ahlburg and DeVita 1992).

Sources:

Bruess, Clint, and Greenberg, Jerrold, Sexuality Education: Theory and Practice. 4th Ed., 2004

Sadock, B. J., Kaplan, H.I., & Freedman, A.M., The Sexual Experience, 1976.

Sex in Ancient Greece, Sexual Behavior (June, 1971)

Sex in Ancient Rome, Sexual Behavior (June, 1971)