Dating and Mating 2/10

The article, “After the Sexual Revolution: Gender Politics in Teen Dating”, Risman and Scwartz, analyze the sexual revolutions dealing with teens, gender, and race in America. Shockingly, they argue that through their polls, sexual activity has gone down from past generations. They hold sexual education in abstinence and teenage responsibility responsible for these results. The only error I can see in their research would be that they do not include all sexual acts in their data- they focus mostly on intercourse, not oral sex. What hasn’t changed is the double standard that plagues American young women. Men can be sexually active without dealing with the slander that teenage girls have to deal with. But, they claim that women are climbing that ladder and are starting to have an upper hand and almost sexual equality with men. Sex has become a choice for all people whether they are married, single or divorced. The issue of sexual activity has just become more broadcasted than it has in the past. You cannot turn on the television without being bombarded with sexual innuendo and promiscuity.

According to Risman and Schwartz article, what are the main trends in sexual activity among teens? How do the authors explain these trends?

The main trends surround how teenagers view sex. All teens regardless of gender, race, or age are all concerned with the negative consequences of being sexually active. Also, sex may be seen more casually but as a general trend, sex is seen more in relationships, more than in casual hookups. Again, this does not include oral sex, only coitus.
According to the authors, this is because of our sexual education we see in our early years. Abstinence educations, as well as simple abstinent pledges, have kept down statistics. Teenagers have become concerned with consequences of their actions. Sex is thrown into teens face. Sex as a whole has become more broadcasted. Teens, especially girls, concerned with double standards, have become more conservative with their actions. Sex has become an act for relationships, no matter how casual those relationships are.


The Second article, “The Decline of he Date and the Rise of the College Hook Up”, by England and Thomas, it analyzes the switch from the traditional date to the now traditional college hook-up. Since the 1950s, the dating world is declining. Through their polls, researchers have found that very few men and women actually go on dates before having sexual interaction with the person. Relationships come about through hook ups, rather than through dating or courting. These sorts of relationships cause a lot of emotional issues for both men and women. They create insecurities within the ‘relationship’ or friendship. Sex and hook ups have become ultra casual in the college atmosphere. It has become a desire for quality, not quantity. These sorts of relationships have also increased the idea of double standards for women. Men have higher rates of random hook ups, but they are seen as the cool guys. When women partake in the same activities, they are seen as sluts and loose the respect of men. Women also have to deal with unpleasurable hookups. Without feelings between people, you cannot expect any respect and mutual respect for each other.

According to England and Thomas, what are the main trends in romantic and sexual behavior among college students?

The main trend between the two is indirect. As the sexual behavior outside of relationships increase, the romantic aspect of relationships between men and women decline. Romance has seemed to go out of style. Dates are almost non existent on college campuses. It is almost unheard of to go on a date with someone who you hadn’t hooked up beforehand. College students seem to have the idea of courting in reverse.

What gender differences are documented in both of these articles?

Both articles display the idea of the double standard for men and women. Women who go out and have random hook ups with boys are seen as ‘sluts’ or promiscuous, whereas men can do the same thing, or even more so, and they are seen as ‘pimps’ or the cool guys. Hook ups allow women to take the backseat to men. Hook ups allow for disrespect for both genders. It is also polled that most women are not even sexually satisfied in their random experiences. There is tons of gender discrimination. Hook ups are gender bias.

Compare these authors' observations to your own high school and college experiences.

Reading these articles, I think the authors hit the nail on the head. Walk through any dorm hall way or step into any room, and you can see how important sex is to a college campus. The gossip every week is who hooked up with who; It’s never who went on a date this weekend. Girls are often looked down on for hooking up with guys, where as my guy friends are slapped on the back and congratulated. I find it depressing and degrading to women, personally. I think random hook ups lead to people getting hurt and used just for another’s pleasure. Very few of my friends in high school and/or in college have been on very many dates, but have hooked up with members of the opposite sex. The number of dates dramatically declined though, when I came to college. I don’t know if it’s because we are still freshmen in college or what, but I personally thought you matured into adults in college. I think men and women should both have respect for themselves and take responsibility for their actions.