Girls begin sex life later than boys? Women have sex less than men? Nowadays, all this is nothing more than obsolete stereotypes. Over the past half -century, the beautiful half of humanity has overcame a huge amount of taboos and prejudices associated with sex with incredible speed.
According to studies conducted in France for the period 1970-2010, the sexual relations of men and women became more equal1. So, the age of entry into sexual life is now the same for both boys and girls-17-18 years (in the middle of the last century, women began 4 years later). Regardless of gender, in our youth, most of us are experiencing a period of “active sexual search”. By the number of sexual partners in their entire life, women also rapidly catch up with men. At the end of the last century, they called the number 2 in questionnaires, in 2006 – already 4. The figure in men during this time remained the same – 11. Sexual appetites are also “leveled off”. In the 70s, judging by the initiators of sex, the vast majority of cases were men, now partners in pairs, as a rule, make decisions together.
In the 70s, only a few women over 50, who was married or permanent relations, indicated in the questionnaires that they regularly have sex. Nowadays, 77% of the fair sex at the age of 50-69 have a partner, and 86% of these women lead an active sex life.
In contrast with similar sexual experience, ideas about male and female sexuality in our minds are still far from equal rights: more than 60% of men and 75% of women are sure that “by nature men experience a stronger need for sex”. At the same time, men are twice as often than women, indicate in the questionnaires, which they consider it normal to enter into a sexual connection “without love”, only to satisfy physical needs.
According to experts, these beliefs reflect the gender hierarchy of sexuality: in it men are not able to resist their natural impulses, and women are imposed on the role of the keeper of love and relationships, which should provide the needs of a man. The idea that our sexual behavior is determined by the nature and laws of biology is still widespread, although numerous studies show that sexual norms and human behavior depend on society and the cultural environment in which it grows up. First of all, our sexual behavior is affected by the historical and political lifestyle of life. A striking example is the invention of contraception, which turned the ideas about female sexuality. Sexual intercourse ceased only to reproductive function.
Another indicative stereotype that has to be dispelled, the researcher Naomi Wulf quotes in her book “Myth of Beauty”: “Men are accustomed to think that the woman’s body excites much more than her personality. Therefore, “men love their eyes, women – ears”. Men sexually excites the type of female body and to a much lesser extent – the personal qualities of a woman, because from childhood they are accustomed to this kind of reaction. And women react weaker to visual stimuli and stronger – to emotional, because they are brought up like this. Such asymmetry in sexual education supports the power of men laid down in the myth of beauty: they look at the female bodies, evaluate them and go further, but they don’t look at their bodies, do not evaluate them, do not accept and do not reject … but even if you are in a certain wayRaised, this does not mean that you cannot refuse previously learned lessons. “.