{"id":1410,"date":"2017-04-05T08:30:02","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T13:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1410"},"modified":"2017-03-27T14:35:58","modified_gmt":"2017-03-27T19:35:58","slug":"the-social-science-of-sexual-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2017\/04\/05\/the-social-science-of-sexual-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"The Social Science of Sexual Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Tom Magliery, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to a recent survey, Americans are having less sex<\/a>\u00a0— about nine fewer times per year in the early 2010s compared to the 1990s. In fact, millennials are one of the groups who have sex the least often. If you\u2019re wondering, those born in the 1930s were having sex the most. For anyone who has heard about young people engaging in “hookup culture<\/a>,” this probably comes as a surprise. But, so what? Why should we care how often people are having sex or who their sexual partners are? <\/span><\/p>\n

Studying sexual practice can reveal underlying norms and expectations, especially related to gender. For instance, a 2016 study linked egalitarian heterosexual relationships, where the couples share gendered household chores, to greater sexual frequency. In another study, researchers found that the number of women who report ever having had sex with both men and women or just women (and identifying as bisexual or gay) has increased; however, the same study reported same-sex encounters have not increased for men. The researchers speculate that this could be a result of differing norms for men and women where it is more acceptable for women to deviate from heterosexual gender norms. <\/span><\/h5>\n