question

sex

answer

the biological distinction between females and males.

question

primary sex characteristics

answer

the genitals, organs used for reproduction.

question

secondary sex characteristics

answer

bodily development, apart from the genitals, that distinguishes biologically mature females and males.

question

inter-sexual people

answer

people whose bodies, including genitals, have both female and male characteristics.

question

transsexuals

answer

people who feel they are one sex even though biologically they are the other.

question

incest taboo

answer

a norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.

question

sexual orientation

answer

a person's romantic and emotional attraction to another person.

question

heterosexuality

answer

sexual attraction to someone of the other sex.

question

homosexuality

answer

sexual attraction to people of both sexes.

question

bisexuality

answer

sexual attraction to people of both sexes.

question

asexuality

answer

a lack of sexual attraction to people of either sex.

question

homophobia

answer

discomfort over close personal interaction with people thought to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

question

pornography

answer

sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal.

question

prostitution

answer

selling of sexual services.

question

abortion

answer

the deliberate termination of a pregnancy.

question

queer theory

answer

a body of research findings that challenges the heterosexual bias in U.S. society.

question

heterosexism

answer

a view that labels anyone who is not heterosexual as "queer".

question

Sexuality is a

answer

biological and cultural issue

question

Sexuality is a biological issue because

answer

Sex is determined at conception as a male sperm joins a female ovum. Males and females have different genitals and bodily development. inter-sexual people have some combination of male and female genitalia. Transsexual people feel they are one sex although biologically they are the other.

question

Sexuality is a cultural issue because

answer

For humans, sex is a matter of cultural meaning and personal choice rather than biological programming. Sexual practices vary considerably from one society to another. The incest taboo exists in all societies. Specific taboos vary from one society to another.

question

The sexual revolution peaked in the

answer

1960's and 1970's.

question

Baby boomers were the first generation to grow up with the idea that

answer

sex was a normal part of social life.

question

The sexual counterrevolution aimed criticism at

answer

"permissiveness" and urged a return to more traditional "family values."

question

Research by Alfred Kinsey and others concluded:

answer

Premarital sexual intercourse became more common during the twentieth century. Almost half of young men and women have intercourse by their senior year in high school. Among all U.S. adults, sexual activity varies:

question

Four sexual orientations are:

answer

heterosexuality homosexuality bisexuality asexuality

question

Most research supports the claim that

answer

sexual orientation is rooted in biology in much the same way as being right handed or left handed.

question

Sexual orientation is not a matter of neat categories because

answer

many people who think of themselves as heterosexual have homosexual experiences; the reverse is also true.

question

The share of the U.S. population that is homosexual

answer

depends on how you define "homosexuality."

question

5.6% of adult men and 12.7% of adult women report engaging in

answer

homosexual activity at some point in their lives

question

1.7% of men and 1.1% of women define themselves as

answer

homosexual

question

1.1% of men and 3.5% of women claim a

answer

bisexual identity.

question

The gay rights movement helped change public attitudes toward greater acceptance of homosexuality. Still,

answer

47% of U.S. adults say homosexuality is wrong.

question

Sexual Issues and Controversies

answer

Teen pregnancy pornography prostitution sexual violence abortion

question

Teen pregnancy

answer

About 750,000 U.S. teenagers become pregnant each year. The rate of teenage pregnancy has dropped since 1950, when many teens married and had children. Today, most pregnant teens are not married and are at high risk of dropping out of school and being poor.

question

Pornography

answer

The law allows local communities to set standards of decency. Conservatives condemn pornography on moral grounds; liberals view pornography as a power issue, condemning it as demeaning to women.

question

Prostitution

answer

The selling of sexual services is illegal almost everywhere in the United States. Many people view prostitution as a victim-less crime, but it victimizes women and spreads sexually transmitted diseases.

question

Sexual violence

answer

About 85,000 rapes are reported each year in the United States, but the actual number is probably several times higher. About 10% of rape cases involve men as victims. Rape is a violent crime in which victim and offender typically know one another.

question

Abortion

answer

Laws banned abortion in all states by 1900. Opposition to these laws rose during the 1960's and in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court declared these laws unconstitutional.

question

Today, some _____ abortions are performed each year.

answer

1.2 million

question

People who describe themselves as "pro-choice"

answer

support a woman's right to choose abortion

question

people who call themselves "pro-life"

answer

oppose abortion on moral grounds.

question

Theories of sexuality:

answer

Structural-functional theory Symbolic-interaction theory Social-conflict theory

question

Structural-functional theory

answer

highlights society's need to regulate sexual activity and especially reproduction. One universal norm is the incest taboo, which keeps family relations clear.

question

Symbolic-interaction theory

answer

emphasizes the various meanings people attach to sexuality. The social construction of sexuality can be seen in sexual differences between societies and in changing sexual patterns over time.

question

Social-conflict theory

answer

links sexuality to social inequality. Feminist theory claims that men dominate women by devaluing them to the level of sexual objects. Queer theory claims our society has a heterosexual bias, defining anything different as "queer."

question

What is the term for humans who have some combination of female and male genitalia?

answer

inter-sexual people

question

A global perspective on human sexuality shows us that

answer

although sex involves our biology, it is also a cultural trait that varies from place to place.

question

Why is the incest taboo found in every society?

answer

It limits sexual competition between members of families. It helps define people's rights and obligations toward one another. It helps connect members of a family to others in the larger society.

question

The sexual revolution came of age during the

answer

1960's

question

Survey data show that the largest share of U.S. adults reject which of the following sexual practices?

answer

extramarital sex

question

According to the Laumann study of sexuality in the United States

answer

there is great diversity in levels of sexual activity, so no one stereotype is correct.

question

Which concept refers to sexual attraction to people of both sexes?

answer

bisexuality

question

Compared to 1950, the U.S. rate of teenage pregnancy today is

answer

lower

question

By what point in their lives do half of young people in the United States today experience sexual intercourse?

answer

by the end of high school

question

If we look back in history, we see that once a society develops birth control technology

answer

attitudes about sexuality become more permissive.

question

About ______ of men and _____ of women in the United States define themselves as "partly" or "entirely" homosexual.

answer

1.7 percent; 1.1 percent

question

Sarah feels little or no sexual attraction to people of either sex. Her sexual orientation is called

answer

asexuality.

question

One cultural universal is the incest taboo which is a norm forbidding

answer

sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.

question

Which of the following categories of teenagers would you correctly place at highest probability of pregnancy?

answer

teenage women with low incomes and weak families

question

T or F: The baby boom generation-people born between 1946 and 1964-became the first cohort in U.S. history to grow up with the idea that sex was part of everyone's life married or not.

answer

True

question

T or F: Standards of human beauty are the same for people everywhere in the world.

answer

False

question

If you were teaching a class about the symbolic-interaction approach to sexuality on which of the following topics would you likely focus?

answer

how individuals in various settings engage in different sexual behavior and attach different meanings to sexual activity

question

Which theoretical approach points to the ways in which sexuality is linked to social inequality?

answer

the social-conflict approach

question

The effect of the sexual counterrevolution was

answer

more people began choosing to limit their number of sexual partners or not to have sex at all.

question

The development of breasts in females and deeper voices in males are examples of

answer

secondary sex characteristics.

question

Thinking about the Laumann study of sexual patterns among U.S. adults which of the following statements is correct?

answer

The frequency of sexual activity varies widely in the U.S. population.

question

Which theoretical approach points to the ways in which sexuality is linked to social inequality?

answer

the social-conflict approach

question

T or F: The sexual counterrevolution did little to change the fact that most sexually-active people in the United States had a high number of sexual partners.

answer

False

question

T or F: On U.S. campuses the majority of women express dissatisfaction with the culture of "hooking up.

answer

True

question

T or F: Sociobiologists point out that in every society throughout the world people are attracted to youthfulness.

answer

True

question

A reason to study sexuality using the sociological perspective is

answer

All of these are correct.

question

T or F: The fact that many people are bisexual demonstrates that sexual orientation is not clear-cut.

answer

True

question

T or F: No sexual practice-not even the incest taboo-is found everywhere in the world.

answer

False

question

T or F: Homosexuality and heterosexuality are mutually exclusive meaning that all people fall into one category or the other.

answer

False

question

Research on extramarital sex shows that about _____ of married men and about _____ of married women remain faithful to their spouse throughout their married lives.

answer

75 percent; 90 percent

question

T or F: There are few areas of life in which sexuality does not play some part.

answer

True

question

T or F: While the sexual revolution increased sexual activity overall it changed behavior among men more than among women.

answer

False

question

T or F: The structural-functional approach highlights patterns of inequality that are linked to sexuality.

answer

False

question

Criticism of the social-conflict approach's view of sexuality would include the fact that

answer

All of these are correct.

question

A reason NOT to view prostitution as simply a matter of personal choice involving adults is that

answer

All of these are correct.

question

T or F: The existence of the Muxes in Mexico shows us that there can be more than two gender categories.

answer

True

question

The more global our view of sexuality

answer

the more variety we see in the meanings people attach to sexuality.

question

Based on what you know about the history of human sexuality once a society gains birth control technology

answer

social norms regarding sexuality become more permissive.

SOCI1301 Chapter Six – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards