First, A History
Nineteenth-century, middle class men and women had feared the idea of ‘too much sex’ and believed that limiting sexual activity to marriage and reproduction was the ultimate cultural ideal. It has been demonstrated that men have historically always desired sex and that it has been the woman’s role to submit to him, whether a prostitute, a mistress or a wife, in order that his sexual hunger is satisfied. However, women throughout the Victorian Era were generally characterized by ‘passionlessness’, where an inherent motherhood instinct guided them through sexual activity, rather than sexual desire. It wasn’t until the early twentieth century that this attitude toward sex began to change.
As middle-class women entered the work force, and began obtaining higher education, including early feminism theory, did they begin to embrace a critical perspective on the old sexual order. Sexual studies conducted by Alfred Kinsey et al, found that new patterns of sexual behaviour were emerging in the 1910s and 1920s. For example, more women were willing to engage in premarital petting and intercourse than women born in the 19th century.
However after WWII, family values reemerged as the social ideal and the emerging sexual identities, such as the Flapper were flattened. Women were forced to leave the workforce and their schooling to return home to pursue their wife and motherhood duties. This is the era where men became known as the ‘breadwinner’ of the family, and it was the woman’s duty to take care of her husband.
The sexual revolution in the 1960s demonstrated a great shift in the relations between women and men. Women’s Liberation movements encouraged personal autonomy concerning reproductive choices and sexual expression. Sex became political as the rise in gay and lesbian movements increased. Sex also became increasingly commercialized and commodified through pornography and the mass media. Sex became more easily accessible, and more readily available.
Although the 1980s became a time of angst and blame for the rise in HIV/AIDS, the commodification of sex remained stable and has continued since.
In recent years, concerns regarding sex and the Internet have become much more pervasive. Issues of exploitation and abuse have become paramount as the mass media’s commercialization of sexuality reaches all ages of the population.
Sex and sexuality have become so ingrained in our society that we don’t necessarily think about the consequences it has on the young and impressionable. When we use sex to sell everything from cars to toothpaste, one might wonder what affect it has on a young person, and if we should be more aware of the sexual ramifications that affect young people who do not understand sexual consequences.
Is it possible then, that the recent increase in the age of consent from 14 to 16 years old reflects a shift in our values and views of sex?
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