Sexual norm
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2008) |
Asexual normcan refer to apersonalor asocialnorm. Most cultures have social norms regardingsexuality,and definenormalsexualityto consist only of certain sex acts between individuals who meet specificcriteria of age,consanguinity(e.g.incest),race/ethnicity(e.g.interracial relationships), and/or social role andsocioeconomic status.
In most societies, the termnormalidentifies a range orspectrumof behaviors. Rather than each act being simply classified as "acceptable" or "not acceptable", many acts are viewed as "more or less accepted" by different people, and the opinion on how normal or acceptable they are greatly depends on the individual making the opinion as well as the culture itself. Based on information gained fromsexologicalstudies, a great many ordinary people's sex lives are very often quite different from popular beliefs aboutnormal,in private.[1]
If non-restrictive sexual norms are regarded positively, they may be called "sexual freedom", "sexual liberation"or"free love".If they are regarded negatively, they may be called" sexual licence "or" licentiousness ". Restrictive social norms, if judged negatively, are calledsexual oppression.If the restrictive norms are judged positively, they may be regarded as encouragingchastity,"sexual self-restraint" or "sexual decency", and negative terms are used for the targeted sexuality, e.g.sexual abuseandperversion.
Social attitudes
[edit]In the West, some people have relaxed the traditional definitions of normality, choosing instead to define normal sexuality as any sexual practice which does not involve what are regarded as sexual perversions. However, using this definition makes use of a long list of sexual perversions which themselves show up hidden assumptions about cultural norms. Recently, in Western society,consensualparaphiliasare becoming more acceptable, in particular "any activity, not otherwise illegal, performed between consenting adults in private."
This liberalization of attitudes has resulted in thedecriminalisation of homosexualityin many countries, following the ground-breakingWolfenden reportin the United Kingdom.
There is a tendency in Western countries towardsserial monogamyas a normal heterosexual lifestyle. There is also a movement towards recognizing long-term homosexual relationships (seesame-sex marriage).
There is also greater acceptance of sexual relationships (partnerships) without requiring the sanction of a form of marriage recognised by the church, state or legal system.
These liberalizing trends can be contrasted withconservativesocial trends that seek to reverse these patterns of behaviour, with encouragement for young people to choose traditionally accepted roles, beliefs and behaviors, and to exercisesexual abstinenceor non-promiscuouslifestyles before marriage.
There is an opposing trend in reaction, that views such changes as a socially destructive force, and is opposed to them. It is often, though not exclusively, associated with people who havereligiousfeelings, and is prevalent in much ofChristianityin America, as well asIslamin theMiddle EastandAsia,and other devout religious groups such asHarediJewsinIsrael.In such countries there is often strong criticism ofnon-traditional sexualitiesandsexual liberation.
Some social unrest in both Eastern and Western cultures is due to this conflict between these two trends, and views upon acceptability and control of social and sexual norms.
See also
[edit]- Catholic teachings on sexual morality
- Religion and sexuality
- Reproductive rights
- Same-sex marriage
- Sex and the law
- Sex-positive feminism
- Sex-positive movement
References
[edit]- ^Bozon, Michel;Rennes, Juliette(February 2015).The history of sexual norms: the hold of age and gender(42 ed.). Belin. p. 304.ISBN9782701194325.RetrievedSeptember 26,2019.
External links
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