Challenging Societal Ideologies: Women's Sexual Liberation

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The female pursuit of sexual liberation blossomed in the 1960’s and continues to grow today. Beginning with what has been dubbed, “The Sexual Revolution”, women have become more comfortable with defying the dominant ideologies in society that have previously bound them. Among these beliefs is the concept that women should be modest with their bodies and forgo sexual pleasure. Likewise, the persistent barrage of a sexual double standard which praises boys for their sexual interactions but denounces women for similar behaviour creates a stigma around women who are confident in their sexualities. Despite the persistence of these attitudes in society, college students have begun to challenge the ideology that sexual interactions must be confined …show more content…

Although forty percent of college-aged students report having sexual intercourse once or never, the perception that hookups are prevalent amongst college students leaves individuals feeling pressured to conform to “the norm” (Zimmerman). The term “hookup” is an ambiguous term that can mean any physical behaviour from kissing to more sexual acts that occurs outside of the confines of a clear relationship. Hookups can occur once or repeatedly, but the primary difference between dating and hooking up is that there are fewer emotional expectations and the encounters are based around physical intimacy. It is difficult to ascertain as to what exactly hookups add to the college experience, but when approaching this issue from a sociological perspective, Robert Merton’s theory on manifest and latent functions sheds light on the potential role hooking up plays. Considered to be the intended purposes of college, manifest functions include job networking and technical skills. However, hookup culture is one of the latent- or unintended- functions. College can be viewed as a type of marriage market where students meet potential partners and determine what they do or do not want from a relationship. With more individuals delaying marriage, hooking up furthers this trend in society and also increases the average age for

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