The main trends in sexual activity among teens according to the Risman and Schwartz article were surprising to me. Maybe it is simply due to the negative portrayal of teen sex in the media, but I was unaware that the rates of sexual activity among teens was decreasing. With the heightened stress on safe sex and abstinence, I did not know that teen pregnancy numbers, as well as abortion and STD rates have actually gone down, and that the age that adolescents are losing their viriginity at has gone up as a whole. The trend is also away from casual sex, and toward mainly engaging in sexual intercourse only when in a relationship. The rate of oral sex however has increased, or is simply just more widely spoken of today. These trends can be attriubuted to a newfound teen conservatism in the last decade, and also to a female empowerment in relationships today. Girls seem to be moving toward the safety and dignity of less sexualized relationships today, and are driven by the fear of negative consequences of casual sex, including pregnancy and disease.
The current trend in romantic and sexual behavior among college students is the hook up rather than the date. Few college students actually go on dates, and if they do it is usually only once they have established an exclusive relationship. Most relationships also begin with a hook up or a series of hook ups, most of which occur under the effects of alcohol, rather than a date. Though sex is usually reserved for relationships or a “friend with benefits”, sex now occurs more casually than in the 50’s or 60’s. Oral sex has become more of a regular occurrence than ever before, and is often performed during random hook ups.
These numbers apply to both genders; however gender differences are highly apparent. More males than females receive oral sex, and males are less likely to be stigmatized by having many random hookups, while girls are often labeled a slut. More males experience an orgasm in all degrees of hook ups, and males also report that their female partner had an orgasm many more times than they actually did.
My high school and college experiences mostly followed the trend of hooking up rather than dating, in between the committed relationships I was in. In general, my friends who are not in relationships definitely find the absence of dating at BC apparent, as well as the gender disparities.