Sex Defined
Sexual intercourse may be defined by different words, including coitus, copulation, coition, or intercourse (which is typically shorthand for sexual intercourse). The term coitus is derived from the Latin word coitio or coire, meaning "a coming together or joining together" or "to go together", and it describes a variety of sexual activities under ancient Latin names, but usually refers exclusively to penile–vaginal penetration. This is often termed vaginal intercourse or vaginal sex. The term vaginal sex, and less often vaginal intercourse, may also refer to any vaginal sexual activity, particularly if penetrative, including sexual activity between lesbian couples. Copulation, by contrast, more often refers to the mating process, especially for non-human animals; it can denote any sexual activity between opposite-sex or same-sex pairings, but is generally defined as the sexually reproductive act of transferring sperm from a male to a female or sexual procreation between a man and a woman.
Although the terms sexual intercourse and sex most commonly denote penile–vaginal intercourse, sex and the phrase "have sex" can mean any penetrative or non-penetrative sexual activity between two or more people. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that non-English languages and cultures "use different terms for sexual activity, with slightly different meanings". Various vulgar or slang words and euphemisms are also used to describe sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, such as the term fuck, shag, and the phrase "sleep together". Penetration of the vagina by the erect penis is additionally known as intromission, or by the Latin name immissio penis (Latin for "insertion of the penis"). The age of first sexual intercourse is caled sexarche.
Vaginal, anal and oral sex are recognized as sexual intercourse more often than other sexual behaviors. While non-penetrative and non-penile–vaginal sexual activities may be regarded as sexual intercourse, they might alternatively be considered a means of maintaining virginity (sometimes called "technical virginity)" or labeled "outercourse", regardless of any penetrative aspects; this is more often the case for oral sex than for anal sex. Virginity loss is often based on penile–vaginal intercourse partly because heterosexual couples may engage in anal or oral sex not only for sexual pleasure, but as ways of maintaining that they are virgins if they have not engaged in the reproductive act of coitus. Similarly, some gay men consider frotting or oral sex as ways of maintaining their virginities, with penile-anal penetration defined as sexual intercourse and resulting in virginity loss, while other gay men may define frotting or oral sex as their main forms of sexual activity. Lesbians may define oral sex or fingering as sexual intercourse and subsequently an act of virginity loss, or tribadism as a primary form of sexual activity.
Researchers commonly define sexual intercourse as penile–vaginal intercourse while using specific terms, such as anal sex or oral sex, for other sexual behaviors. Scholars Richard M. Lerner and Laurence Steinberg state that researchers also "rarely disclose how they define sex or even whether they resolved potential discrepancies in definitions of sex". Learner and Steinberg attribute researchers' focus on penile–vaginal sex to "the larger culture's preoccupation with this form of sexual activity," and have expressed concern that the "widespread, unquestioned equation of penile–vaginal intercourse with sex reflects a failure to examine systematically 'whether the respondent's understanding of the question [about sexual activity] matches what the researcher had in mind'".This focus can also relegate other forms of mutual sexual activity to foreplay or contribute to them not being regarded as "real sex", and limits how rape is defined. It may also be that conceptually conflating sexual activity with vaginal intercourse and sexual function hinders and limits information about sexual behavior that non-heterosexual people may be engaging in, or information about heterosexuals who may be engaging in non–vaginal sexual activity.
Studies regarding the definition of sexual intercourse sometimes conflict. A 1999 study by the Kinsey Institute examined the definition of sex based on a 1991 random sample of 599 college students from 29 U.S. states; it reported that while "virtually every college student they surveyed considered penile–vaginal intercourse to be sex," and 19–20% said that anal intercourse was not sex, 60% said oral-genital contact (fellatio, cunnilingus) did not constitute having sex. Similarly, a 2003 study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality focusing on definitions of having sex and noting studies concerning university students from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia reported that "while the vast majority of respondents (more than 97%) in these three studies included penile–vaginal intercourse in their definition of sex, fewer (between 70% and 90%) respondents considered penile-anal intercourse to constitute having sex" and that "oral-genital behaviours were defined as sex by between 32% and 58% of respondents". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in 2009 that "although there are only limited national data about how often adolescents engage in oral sex, some data suggest that many adolescents who engage in oral sex do not consider it to be 'sex'; therefore they may use oral sex as an option to experience sex while still, in their minds, remaining abstinent".
The specificity of questions concerning sexual activity can additionally affect definitions of sexual intercourse or other sexual behaviors. Another study by the Kinsey Institute sampled 484 people, ranging in ages 18–96. The study reported that nearly 95% of its participants "agreed that penile–vaginal intercourse meant 'had sex.' But the numbers changed as the questions got more specific". 11% of respondents based "had sex" on whether the man had achieved an orgasm, concluding that absence of an orgasm does not constitute "having had" sex; "about 80 percent of respondents said penile-anal intercourse meant 'had sex.' About 70 percent of people believed oral sex was sex." Condom use is also a factor, with some men stating that sexual activity involving the protection of a condom is not "real sex" or "the real thing". One study reported that older generations of men (65 or older) in particular do not view sexual activity involving the protection of a condom to be sex. This view is common among men in Africa, where sexual activity involving the protection of a condom is often associated with emasculation because condoms prevent direct penile–to–skin genital contact.
Although the terms sexual intercourse and sex most commonly denote penile–vaginal intercourse, sex and the phrase "have sex" can mean any penetrative or non-penetrative sexual activity between two or more people. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that non-English languages and cultures "use different terms for sexual activity, with slightly different meanings". Various vulgar or slang words and euphemisms are also used to describe sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, such as the term fuck, shag, and the phrase "sleep together". Penetration of the vagina by the erect penis is additionally known as intromission, or by the Latin name immissio penis (Latin for "insertion of the penis"). The age of first sexual intercourse is caled sexarche.
Vaginal, anal and oral sex are recognized as sexual intercourse more often than other sexual behaviors. While non-penetrative and non-penile–vaginal sexual activities may be regarded as sexual intercourse, they might alternatively be considered a means of maintaining virginity (sometimes called "technical virginity)" or labeled "outercourse", regardless of any penetrative aspects; this is more often the case for oral sex than for anal sex. Virginity loss is often based on penile–vaginal intercourse partly because heterosexual couples may engage in anal or oral sex not only for sexual pleasure, but as ways of maintaining that they are virgins if they have not engaged in the reproductive act of coitus. Similarly, some gay men consider frotting or oral sex as ways of maintaining their virginities, with penile-anal penetration defined as sexual intercourse and resulting in virginity loss, while other gay men may define frotting or oral sex as their main forms of sexual activity. Lesbians may define oral sex or fingering as sexual intercourse and subsequently an act of virginity loss, or tribadism as a primary form of sexual activity.
Researchers commonly define sexual intercourse as penile–vaginal intercourse while using specific terms, such as anal sex or oral sex, for other sexual behaviors. Scholars Richard M. Lerner and Laurence Steinberg state that researchers also "rarely disclose how they define sex or even whether they resolved potential discrepancies in definitions of sex". Learner and Steinberg attribute researchers' focus on penile–vaginal sex to "the larger culture's preoccupation with this form of sexual activity," and have expressed concern that the "widespread, unquestioned equation of penile–vaginal intercourse with sex reflects a failure to examine systematically 'whether the respondent's understanding of the question [about sexual activity] matches what the researcher had in mind'".This focus can also relegate other forms of mutual sexual activity to foreplay or contribute to them not being regarded as "real sex", and limits how rape is defined. It may also be that conceptually conflating sexual activity with vaginal intercourse and sexual function hinders and limits information about sexual behavior that non-heterosexual people may be engaging in, or information about heterosexuals who may be engaging in non–vaginal sexual activity.
Studies regarding the definition of sexual intercourse sometimes conflict. A 1999 study by the Kinsey Institute examined the definition of sex based on a 1991 random sample of 599 college students from 29 U.S. states; it reported that while "virtually every college student they surveyed considered penile–vaginal intercourse to be sex," and 19–20% said that anal intercourse was not sex, 60% said oral-genital contact (fellatio, cunnilingus) did not constitute having sex. Similarly, a 2003 study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality focusing on definitions of having sex and noting studies concerning university students from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia reported that "while the vast majority of respondents (more than 97%) in these three studies included penile–vaginal intercourse in their definition of sex, fewer (between 70% and 90%) respondents considered penile-anal intercourse to constitute having sex" and that "oral-genital behaviours were defined as sex by between 32% and 58% of respondents". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in 2009 that "although there are only limited national data about how often adolescents engage in oral sex, some data suggest that many adolescents who engage in oral sex do not consider it to be 'sex'; therefore they may use oral sex as an option to experience sex while still, in their minds, remaining abstinent".
The specificity of questions concerning sexual activity can additionally affect definitions of sexual intercourse or other sexual behaviors. Another study by the Kinsey Institute sampled 484 people, ranging in ages 18–96. The study reported that nearly 95% of its participants "agreed that penile–vaginal intercourse meant 'had sex.' But the numbers changed as the questions got more specific". 11% of respondents based "had sex" on whether the man had achieved an orgasm, concluding that absence of an orgasm does not constitute "having had" sex; "about 80 percent of respondents said penile-anal intercourse meant 'had sex.' About 70 percent of people believed oral sex was sex." Condom use is also a factor, with some men stating that sexual activity involving the protection of a condom is not "real sex" or "the real thing". One study reported that older generations of men (65 or older) in particular do not view sexual activity involving the protection of a condom to be sex. This view is common among men in Africa, where sexual activity involving the protection of a condom is often associated with emasculation because condoms prevent direct penile–to–skin genital contact.
Comments
Post a Comment