“Human beings are sexual beings throughout their entire lives. At certain points in life, sexuality may manifest itself in different ways” (DeLamater 64). Usually, most people begin to question and experience their first signs of sexuality in their pre-teen years; puberty causes many changes physically and in sex hormone levels. In later teen years, rates of premarital heterosexual intercourse have shot up showing that, yes, many teens are having sex (obviously we knew that). The progression of sexual exploration proceeds to mature in the adult years by learning how to communicate and connect in relationships intimately.
So where does college fit in to all this? “Approximately 80% of college students have engaged in sexual intercourse yet only about one-third report they regularly use condoms” (Abbey 469). “In one survey, 75% of college women indicated they had gotten drunk within the last year…in fact, 17% of college women reported deliberately drinking more than normal to make it easier to have sexual intercourse with someone” (Moore 173). Women in college just don’t have that much experience and are usually sexually-insecure. Referring back to the readings two weeks ago about the culture of hooking up, freshmen are especially at risk for risky and dangerous sexual behavior. Most freshmen and sophomore girls just want to hook up and aren’t really looking for a relationship; but because of the lack of experience and sexual confidence, they’re more likely to engage in this risky behavior.
“Lower condom use occurs among college women with high perceptions of relative vulnerability, absence of negative emotions, lower perceptions of present risk, and endorsement of the ‘relational idea’ (i.e. love and commitment as a prerequisite for sexual intercourse)” (Abbey 471). Binge drinking and the idea of getting hammered before encountering a sexual exploit is putting both people in danger of an intoxicated state; one that would probably forget, or not even bother to use a condom. I think that now, in contemporary times, many women in college are on birth control and rely on that as their primary form of contraception. There are many men that would opt for not using a condom for the “better feeling” or waste of time it takes to actually get on. What I think many women are forgetting is that they should have the confidence to have condoms/tell the men to actually use condoms, and the fact that diseases can be still be spread without a condom.
It’s interesting to read research done about women my age (in college) and data about their sexual explorations. Should it be reaffirming what is normal or contradicting personal or closely-related instances of what I’ve experienced?
Abbey, Antonia, Michelle Parkhill, and Philip Buck. Condom Use with a Casual Partner. Print.
DeLamater, John, and Wiiliam Freidrich. Human Sexual Development. Print.
Moore, Nelwyn, and Kenneth Davidson. Communicating with New Sex Partners. Print.
I think it’s really interesting that you found evidence that women are likely to purposefully drink in expectation of having sex. It shows a trend of predicted risky behavior that I would otherwise not have known. That planned aspect of losing oneself before the experience seems dangerous and predictive of an increasing reliance on hook up opportunities if one wants to continue to engage is sexual behavior. It seems as though it leaves women with no other choice but than to limit themselves to only a single hook up with the partner with whom they were wasted.
In my experience a guy who doesn’t want to use protection is either an idiot or is blatantly exposing that he has no respect for you or possibly himself. If you’re not sober enough to make the call, you’re certainly not going to remember to ask about sexual history or infection.
I’d be interested to know if you think this trend is more or less prevalent at Emory in comparison to other schools. There are a lot of smart people here, but there are a lot of smart girls that arrive here with very little previous sexual experience.
Correction: “I think it’s interesting that they found evidence…”
I hadn’t read that article prior to reading your post.
Merstar: is there a typo in your last sentence. I don’t exactly understand what you are asking. Please clarify. Great job engaging several of our course articles and putting them in conversation with one another. Also, great job using correctly cited evidence to support your argument. Keep it up. I am still wondering about how alcohol fits in to sex and what strategies we can employ to help reduce the “risky” behavior that often results when folks get intimate when drunk. What I mean is this: what about sex makes people want to lose their inhibitions first by drinking? Should we focus sex education on how drunk/high people are less likely to practice safe sex or should we focus on the importance of communicating before, during, and after sex? What do you think?
I guess my last question isn’t really clear… I’m really asking if I should be comforted by the data I’ve read about the sexual health of college women my age, or should I be concerned and try to change the way I act in a sexual situation. I don’t think we should necessarily focus on sex education on drunk/high people and how they’re less likely to make good decisions; however, it should definitely be addressed. Even though underage drinking and marijuana is illegal, we are obviously aware that teens and college kids are doing it.