Sexuality - Our Changing Attitudes, Loving The One You're With, Americans And Their Sexual Behavior

The subject of sexuality would probably merit a book on its own, but in the panels that follow, we shall only be able to peek at a few issues — our attitudes and some of behavior. Are our views changing? For all the talk of sex in the media, how sexually active are we?

The first panel will explore our attitudes to premarital sex, and how they have changed over recent years. The next panel looks at sexual activity among adults. There are plenty of myths out there on this subject: men don't think they get enough (to put it delicately), women think they get too much, married people don't have sex, all young people are very sexually active. How true are all these common beliefs?

The chapter will then shift slightly from behavior to attitudes. We'll examine surveys on sexual fantasies and performance. Are we good lovers? Are we comfortable with sex? Recent data show a significant segment of the population experience some level of dys- function with their sex lives. We'll deal with the issue of dysfunction in other ways. We'll study Viagra's effect on the drug industry and on the sex lives of millions of men. We'll also examine plastic surgery. Looking for the perfect body? Trying to get rid of wrinkles and stay young? You'll see that you are not alone.

We'll examine teenagers' lack of knowledge about sexual health and reproduction. We'll also look at AIDS. The disease was covered in an earlier chapter (along with sexually transmitted diseases). This chapter will look at the disease through a different lens. AIDS has been with us for (at least) two decades and has had a dramatic impact on the gay community and our sexual behavior.

The reader will, we hope, start to see patterns convergent patterns. There is a substantial number of depressed people in the nation. Is it possible that they're not interested in sex? How will this affect our primary relationships? If we feel that premarital sex is acceptable, do we then encourage births out of wedlock? Is a teenager who doesn't know the facts about sex at a higher risk of becoming pregnant or becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease?