What comes to mind when male and female sex drives are mentioned? The stereotype as stated by Roy F. Baumeister (2000) would be females have a lower sex drive then males. This statement tends to be accepted by most people in society as the standard, so why would looking into this question be important? Having a “standard” can be dangerous, because not everyone fits that standard. Thus, understanding the differences can show society what is normal, and how to change the standard that is accepted. Roy F. Baumeister at Case Western University, Alicia Barr at South Plains College, and many others sought to understand why do females have a lower sex drive.
Understanding the importance of a sex drive is the first step in the process of exploring the differences. The sex drive refers to the strength of sexual motivation (Baumeister, Catanese, & Vohs, 2001). Humans want to fill their needs and when a sexual motivation is high enough that motivation will outcompete the importance of other motivations. Basically, when the two sex drives are equal the relationship can focus on other issues. Thus, allowing the relationship to move on and be more successful.
What must be looked at next is the difference of sex drives between males and females. There is a lot of evidence that Baumeister and his colleges have looked at to validate this trend. They found that across all ages females are significantly less sexual than men, and females are will to wait longer in terms of time before engaging in sexual activity (Baumeister, et al,. 2001, 246). Evidence of masturbation frequency, and homosexual relationships both correlate with the idea of men being more sexual. In homosexual relationships it was found that lesbians had less sex than...
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... and what society dictates. To begin understanding this complex problem is the key to individualism and breaking free from societies constraints.
Works Cited
Baumeister, R. F., Catanese, K. R., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Is there a gender difference in strength of sex drive? Theoretical views, conceptual distinctions, and a review of relevent evidence. Personality And Social Psychology Review, 5(3), 242-273. doi:10.1207/S15327957PSPR0503_5
Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Gender differences in erotic plasticity: The female sex drive as socially flexible and responsive. Psychological Bulletin, 126(3), 347-374. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.347
Barr, A., Bryan, A., & Kenrick, D. T. (2002). Sexual peak: Socially shared cognitions about desire, frequency, and satisfaction in men and women. Personal Relationships, 9(3), 287-299. doi:10.1111/1475-6811.09305
The percentage above is basically an indicative quantitative value for what society believes is the norm for both men and women. Two stereotypes come into play, that of a man being an overly sexual being, constantly craving sex and consuming every waking moment and every ounce of energy in pursuit of it. Secondly, there is the stereotype of woman being a passive, sexually unresponsive being. Many combinations of factors come together to produce the common misconceptions shown in the above statistics.
The initial study, implemented in 2005, surveyed thirty people, who proclaimed they have “great sex”; the initial finding of these thirty people found six different components of optimal sexuality. With their follow up study,
Klein, Marty. "You're addicted to what? Challenging the myth of sex addiction." The Humanist July-Aug. 2012: 31+. Gale Power Search. Web. 8 Apr. 2014
Journal of Sex Research volume 34 (issue 2) 167-174. (Retrieved from EBSCOhost on February 26, 2010.)
The community plays a key role when it comes to erotic plasticity, and the person’s sexual identity. Women’s sexual identity is seen as be adventures. Exploring ones sexual attitude, desire, decisions, and behavior. There sexual acts do not defined them, and can go through life without their high sex drive decreasing. However it is different for men when it comes to exploring their sex drive. Male sexuality is evolutionary and biological factor playing key roles in their life course. When a man experience sex with another man it is assumed they will always be gay. The so called deviant act, unlike to women defines their sexually identity. (McElwain, Grimes, & Melissa L. McVicker, 2009, p.
Sassler, S, F Addo, and D Lichter. "The Tempo of Sexual Activity and Later Relationship Quality." Journal of Marriage & Family 74.4 (2012): 708-725.
There is no doubt that men and women are influenced by biological factors. The question is are gender roles based on nature, nurture or both? When discussing human sexuality, drives and desires hormones play a substantial role in our behaviors. The physiological differences externally in males and females are obvious. For example, when aroused, males become erect, whereas females become lubricated instead of a clitoral erection. In the article, “Biological Aspects of Sexual Orientation and Identity” Milton Diamond Ph.D. claims “These differences obviously pertain to copulation, but many other mechanisms exist that are less related to coitus but very much related to sexual expression and childbearing. Muscle mass, body and skeletal articulation, enzyme and endocrine production, and other physiological features and reflexes are additional distinctions. The endocrine system of males is relatively tonic in operation, while the female system is basically cyclic during the reproductive years.” Some of these biological factors are thought to shape gender differences due to hormones and brain function. According to “Biological Theories of Gender” Saul McLeod claims that, “The biological approach suggests that there is no distinction between sex and gender, thus biological sex creates gendered behavior.” This theory
The first topic that was approached in this essay was sexual desire among men, women, gays, and lesbians. The research concluded that men have more sexual desire than women. Men not only have more sexual desire, but they also have more interest in sex, sex fantasies, and spend more money on sexual products like porn and prostitutes. Another subject that was brought up was that in heterosexual relationships the man in the relationship wants to have more sex, but ultimately has to compromise with their female partner. Lesbian relationships has reported that they have sex less often then in gay or heterosexual relationship, which makes sense since women tend to have a lower sex drive.
Existing research on sexual activity of older adults suffers from inadequate descriptions of the population, particularly across different cultures and ethnic groups and in regard to education and financial status. In a 1999 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) survey of 1384 older adults, respondents reported that sexual activity was pleasurable. The AARP survey found that older adults with partners felt that a satisfying sexual relationship was important, whereas those without partners did not feel such urgency. Women over age 75 were less likely to have a partner than older men, and as such, seemed to have a less positive attitude toward or interest in sexual activity than men of the same age. Men with or without a partner had more frequent thoughts, fantasies, and feelings of sexual desire (and self-stimulation) than ...
When sexual cues are identified by the brain, a surge of testosterone production is triggered. This testosterone surge heightens sexual anticipation and prepares the body for sexual encounters. What is fascinating is that these cues can be produced by pornography or through sexual fantasizing. So it’s not just what you see that causes the testosterone surge to increase sexual interest, it is also what you dwell on that can produce the surge as well. (William M. Struthers PhD 1st, February 2013
Human sexuality is a motivation. It is dominated by a range and interplay of many factors, which
...d sex in general (McCabe, 2005). Since correlation does not necessarily imply causation, there is speculation about whether or not performance anxiety is the root cause for sexual dysfunction. However, given the results of the surveys, it could be said that regardless of the etiology of sexual dysfunction, performance anxiety is further exacerbating the problem in both sexes. As a dysfunction becomes apparent, the sufferer more closely monitors his or her performance, which causes more anxiety when negative effects are experienced. This focus and anxiety, paired with the dysfunction in general, all feed off of one another and hinder sexual intercourse (McCabe, 2005).
Oliver, M. B., & Hyde, J. S. (1993). Gender difference in sexuality: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 29-51.
A fundamental step for understanding the links between human nature and intimate relationships is by understanding human sexuality. Alfred Kinsey, in his pioneering study on human sexual behaviour, illustrated the degree to which individuals differ in their sexual attitudes, beliefs and preferences (Kinsey, Pomeroy & Martin, 1948). In particular, a marked difference was highlighted in individuals’ sociosexual attitudes and behaviours. Following this, many of the sociosexual features individuals differ in, including preferred frequency of sexual intercourse, the number of different sexual partners they predict to have in the future, and their willingness to engage in uncommitted relationships, have shown to covary (Eysenk, 1976, as cited in Barnes, Malamuth & Check, 1984). Considered together, these features compose an individual difference dimension named sociosexuality (Snyder, Simpson & Gangestad, 1986). Sociosexuality reflects the tendency to engage in uncommitted, casual sexual encounters (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). Those with a restricted sociosexual orientation typically prefer closeness and commitment from their romantic partner before engaging in sex (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). Such individuals claim they rarely have one-night stands, and require emotional intimacy within a romantic relationship before feeling comfortable with sex (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). Conversely, unrestricted individuals require little or no emotional bond with a partner in order to have sex. These individuals are more likely to be involved in extra-marital relationships (Seal, Agostinelli & Hannett, 1994), and exhibit more frequent displays of sexual assertiveness such as flirting (Simpson, Gangestad & Nations, 1996).
Gender roles and identity are constantly shifting throughout different societal generations. Men and woman both have notable similarities and differences in genders and they each contribute to their personalities and actions. In the past men have been viewed as a more dominant sex in society over women, both in careers, home life, and sexually, however, today women have bridged many of the gaps and society is accepting a more equal view of genders. The following examines the similarities and differences between men and woman by looking at biological characteristics, gender roles, and sexual responses.