In reaction to the media’s numerous stigmas around college hookup culture in recent years, sociologists and psychologists have begun to investigate adolescent and young adult hookups more systematically. In “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women?” by Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Laura Hamilton and Paula England, this issue is addressed through a reaction to previous articles from sources on opposite sides. One side of the argument over sexual activity for young women places them at risk of “low self esteem, depression, alcoholism, and eating disorders,” while the other side argues that the underlying issue is the “moral panic over casual sex.” This issue has been seen by many as a “sudden and alarming change in youth sexual culture,” but systematic research has shown that experiences of young women in college …show more content…
are much different than what is normally reported, which adds to sexual double standards that are a key source of gender inequality. Key assumptions causing this public stigma involve the belief that young people today are having more sex at younger ages than their parents, which the authors claim is not true.
They base their findings on the National Health and Social Life Survey, which found that those born after 1942 were “more sexually active at younger ages” than those born from 1933-42, and the trend toward greater sexual activity among young people “appears to halt or reverse” among those born from 1963-72. In addition to these facts, an English survey of more than 14,000 students from 19 universities and colleges about their hookup, dating, and relationship experiences revealed that 72% of students experience a hookup at least once by their senior year in college, but hooking up hasn’t replaced committed relationships and is not a new concept to young adults. The evidence is convincing and shows that students often participate in both at different times during college (69% of heterosexual students participated in a relationship lasting at least 6 months by senior year as well.) Based on this, the amount of hookups and committed relationship by college students seems to even out over
time. There does not seem to be any perspective bias, due to the fact that many assumptions are based in fact of surveys, and don’t take the numbers out of their context. Student anecdotes seem to back up these findings as well. Many college students saw their time in college as a time to meet people and experiment socially, and others don’t think they could balance a committed relationship with the rigorous curriculum of certain majors. This time to students is seen as a time to balance having fun with risk, to not jeopardize their future career endeavors, and as a college student, this argument seems very sound and based in real experiences of young adults going through different phases of the college lifestyle. But the findings also reveal some roots of gender inequality in those participating in committed relationships, and why hookups have become an outlet for some college women. The article implies that restricting sex to committed relationships could be a step too far and “not challenge gender inequality in youth sex.” The solution would attack the vicious double standard that leads men to attack their partners within a relationship to preserve the commitment. This would in turn improve relationships because women would be less likely to “tolerate greedy or abusive relationships if they were treated better in hookups.” Realizing this issue will help to foster relationships among young adults that “should go hand in hand with efforts to build egalitarian relationships” that allow more space for other aspects of life, such as: school, work, and friendship.
Donna Freitas “Time to Stop Hooking Up. (You Know You Want to.)” First appeared as an editorial in the Washington Post in 2013. In this essay Freitas aims to convince her readers that hooking up may seem easy and less stress than a real relationship, but in reality they become unhappy, confused, and unfulfilled in their sex life. “Hookups are all about throwing off the bonds of relationships and dating for carefree sex” personal experience, compare and contrast are a few techniques Freitas skillfully uses to strong convincing essay.
In Hookups Starve the Soul, an essay by Laura Vanderkam, Mrs. Vanderkam argues the fact that the real problem with hookups is not the act of promiscuity, but rather the lack of meaning behind it. I believe one is entitled to do whatever he or she pleases, with his or her body. Having the ability to hook up, particularly for college students, forces the person to become more confident and comfortable along with giving the participant a sense of power. On the contrary, through this sexual freedom, men and women are still held to different standards.
Conor Kelly argues in her article, “Sexism in Practice: Feminist Ethics Evaluating the Hookup Culture” that the hookup culture is sexist and disempowers women. Although, he mentions it is difficult to define “hooking up” but majority of the students will agree that it involves “some level of sexual activity without the constraints and expectations of a relationship” (Kelly 65). In other words, when two people have casual sex with no strings attached, when they both finish they both can go on with their lives without
As stated in the book, “college students have much to teach about sex” (8). That is because the values, ideologies, and worldviews of the students are representative of greater American culture. Although flawed, hookup culture on American campuses hold the possibility of accepting a culture of inclusivity, care, pleasure, and freedom while also rejecting predatory behavior, racism, classism, and abuse. Dismissing hookup culture all together is blind to the reality that young adults are going to have sex, and since sex is non-negotiable, one’s aim should be to foster open dialogue and critical thought onto a future where everyone enjoys the ability to freely explore sexuality, sex, and gender on their own
In her book, Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus, Kathleen Bogle studied the different relationship trends over the past 100 years. She explained how young adults shifted from calling on each to dating each other to now hooking up with each other (Bogle 2008). In today’s society, college-aged adults have adopted the practice of hooking up, which involves different levels of intimacy (kissing to sex) without a long-term commitment to one’s partner. Throughout her research, Bogle explored the social script for hooking up and the different relationship dynamics for young adults due to this practice (2008).
Age of Consent by the Bronski Beats is a remarkable album that promoted a great message in the early 80s. The group members were Steve Bronski, Larry Steinbeck, and Jimmy Somerville. They met in 1983 and started doing live shows. In the following year, the group got signed by the London Recording. They released the Age of Consent on October 15, 1984 which attracted the public’s attraction. The Age of Consent is a phenomenal album that brought attention to the Gay rights issue in United Kingdom in the early 1980s.
Donna Freitas in The End of Sex gives her thoughts on how hookup culture is affecting specifically college students. Her judgment comes out of a space where she wants, “to empower them (participants in hookups) to seek the kinds of relationships they want…” (16). Though her perspective comes from a good place, her argument has points that are shaming, archaic, dismissive, and one sided. Her argument seems to be that of a pro-woman stance at times, neglecting one of the key feminism ideals of choice. Freitas uses patriarchal arguments to back up her ideas, tarnishing her perspectives that come off as woman empowering. The book, The End of Sex, neglects to be conscious of female independence
College is full of experiences from the late night cram sessions to the wild parties. For many young adults, college is the perfect time to have their first experiences with relationships and love if they had not engaged in intimacy prior to college. Young adults seem to be engaging in an alternative to dating known as the hook up or even Netflix and chill. For the few who have been left in the dark hook ups involve kissing, making out and having sex. If you think about it a hook up essentially the same thing as a one night stand. I do not know about most people, but I believe that one night stands have been around for quite some time. More and more college students are known now more than ever to turn to toward this quick simple and empty sexual act. Old school dates have somewhat become replaced by this so much so that some question if this has happened before in earlier generations. Sociologist Paula England writes about the hookup culture and states in her interview with Dalton Conley that she believes
There were no longer formalized rules of proprietary and attitudes to sexual behavior relaxed greatly (Bailey 2004). By the 1980s, 97% of surveyed college students said that felt that kissing was acceptable by the third dating —60% even said that no dates were necessary for it to be acceptable — and more than half said the premarital intercourse was acceptable after several dates (Knox and Wilson 1981). Additionally, between 1965 and 1986, the percentage of adults who viewed premarital sex as wrong or always wrong decreased by two-thirds (Thornton 1989). While teenager’s perceptions of parental attitudes toward premarital sex did not change much between 1950 and 1975, their perceptions of their peer views drastically changed. The number of teenagers who reported that their friends would be okay with them having sex increased 400% from the era of Where the Boys Are and Where the Boys are ’84 (Finer 2007). Teenage sex, even pre-marital sex, was no longer a cardinal sin for white teenagers in
The hookup culture has become deeply ingrained in the college experience, all across the country students are fulfilling their desires while preserving their autonomy. On the surface the hookup culture doesn’t sound so bad, however, I am going to argue that the hookup culture itself stems from and promulgates problematic societal inequalities. I will develop my claim by first discussing the dominance of the hookup culture and the societal pressure placed on those who don’t want to participate or are unsure about participating in what the culture has to offer. Then, I will illustrate why the general dynamic of the heterosexual hookup is an uneven playing field even for women who actively choose to participate in the hookup culture. Finally,
The Broke Female The 60’s was certainly a time of women’s curiosity and venture outside of the norm “homemaker” role. Women not only found pleasure in the world, but in themselves as a whole and as a woman. Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown played an important role here as her intent was to guide women - or more specifically the single woman - in her pursuit of independence and pleasure. Sex and the Single Girl most definitely lead the readers on to believe that it was to empower women; even to break away from the norm and advocate the unattached female. My response will focus on the contradictory nature the guidebook, and other literature like Cosmopolitan, create when advising a woman to do and be something on the one hand while having an underlying message on the other.
With “technological advancements” (Sumner) and “lenient parents” (Henschen) teens and young adults throw themselves into casual relationships – “with hopes of finding a steady relationship” (Estupinyà). Whether the New World society looks to find steady relationships or not, the people throw themselves at one another because it is the social norm for them. As young American society progresses, the teens and 20-somethings are doing the exact same thing. Casual sex and casual relationships are seen as acceptable more and more as the millennial generation becomes older. Men and women both look to have “hook-ups to fulfill love” (Estupinyà), just as Aldous Huxley presents in his
According to the article “Tinder and the Dawn of the “Dating Apocalypse,’” “People used to meet their partners through proximity, through family and friends, but now Internet meeting is surpassing every other form” (Sales). Jo Sales’ point is that the Internet is overtaking other ways of meeting a partner. In the past, the way of finding one’s potential partner was through family members, but now society is moving in the direction of using the Internet as a way to find their partners. Students in college provided a great amount of information regarding hookup culture, which supported Jo Sales arguments. According to Martin Monto and Anna Carey, “Current research and the popular media have claimed that the hookup culture is a widespread phenomenon that has replaced traditional dating...” (Monto and Carey 606). In making this comment, traditional relationships that were once said to be loving and caring have moved to sexual activity called hookups. Research shows how hookup culture has overtaken the roots of traditional dating and will continue to expand in the future. The study shows how college students were involved in one-night stands frequently knowing that they do not want to build a long lasting relationship. Traditional dating in the past formed stable relationships, and the idea of hookup culture was not even a topic of discussion. Questions
Additionally, comprehensive sex education programs are a way to educate young adults about right and wrong. A study by the American Association of University in 1993 stated that four out of five high school students have experienced sexual harassment (Lickona, 1993). Education is a powerful tool to teach young children between right and wrong. In the Havens, there is a confusion about what constitutes rape. According to the Havens, 77% of young men between 18-25 believed that having sex with someone who said “no” constituted rape. Due to this confusion, young men are looking more into porn magazines to gain information about sex (Cosslett, 2014). As schools only teach the bare minimal of staying abstinence, young adults are searching elsewhere
Paul, E. L., & Hayes, K. A. (2002). The casualties of “casual” sex: A qualitative exploration of the phenomenology of college students’ hookups. Journal of personal and Social Relationships, 19, 639-661.