Consent, Power, and Pleasure

QUESTION

Petersen and Hyde: After reading Petersen and Hyde, respond to at least one of the following question clusters:

○ Which of the three theories of gender difference in sexuality makes the most sense to you (between evolutionary psychology, social cognitive learning theory, and social structural theory)? Do you agree with their analysis of biological and sociocultural factors on pp. 159-161?

○ Considering Petersen and Hyde’s description of publication bias (see p. 152), systematic reporting bias (see p. 153), and social desirability bias (see pp. 158 and 161), and other “issues of measurement and self-report” (see pp. 161-162), can you think of any methodological problems in Kinsey’s research process as portrayed in the film?

Pleasure and politics: After reading Kaak and Jolly, Cornwall, and Hawkins, respond to at least one of the following clusters of questions:

○ Regardless of whether you actually identify as a feminist, imagine for the moment that you had to choose between the two sides of the “feminist sex wars” described on pages 1-3. Which side would you choose, and why? Is there any issue in particular that you feel so strongly about that it overshadows other issues?

○ On page 9 the authors note that “in Malawi, church sexuality education was far more open and sex-positive than secular alternatives, which tried to motivate people to have safer behaviours through fear of disease.” Is this surprising to you? Do you see faith and sex-positivity as congruent, opposite, or in related in some other way?

○ Of the issues discussed in this introduction, which are new to you? For example, had you thought before about the sexuality (or asexuality) of people with disabilities or people living with HIV? Were you aware of the practice of FGM (female genital mutilation/modification)?

○ Do you believe that discussion of pleasure has a role to play in public health and anti-violence education? What challenges would you face if you were implementing such a program?

○ What education have you received about consent and sexual violence, and where did you learn it? What are your impressions of kink and BDSM?

Kinsey: After watching Kinsey, respond to one of the following clusters of questions. ○ Did you receive medically accurate information about topics like masturbation,

sex, and reproduction when you were growing up? Consider what you learned from school, family, the media, and/or religious institutions.

○ Which myths described in the movie were the most surprising to you? Besides sex, can you think of any topics steeped in misinformation that could benefit from a similar (massive, interview-based) study?

ANSWER

Consent, Power, and Pleasure

Petersen and Hyde: Which of the three theories of gender difference in sexuality makes the most sense to you (between evolutionary psychology, social cognitive learning theory, and social structural theory)? Do you agree with their analysis of biological and sociocultural factors on pp. 159-161?

The evolutionary psychology theory makes the most sense to me. The evolutionary psychology theory is a common theoretical approach to gender differences and explanation of psychological and mental traits such as perception, language, and memory as being adaptations to natural selection. The social cognitive learning theory, which claims that people learn by observing others, and the social structural theory, which claims that traits are developed from social structures are quite questionable. I agree with the biological and sociocultural factors analysis done by the authors (Petersen & Hyde, 2011). I think men are more sexually active than women.

References

Petersen, J. L., & Hyde, J. S. (2011). Gender differences in sexual attitudes and behaviors: A review of meta-analytic results and large datasets. Journal of Sex Research, 48(2-3), 149-165.

Pleasure and Politics: On page 9 the authors note that “in Malawi, church sexuality education was far more open and sex-positive than secular alternatives, which tried to motivate people to have safer behaviours through fear of disease.” Is this surprising to you? Do you see faith and sex-positivity as congruent, opposite, or in related in some other way?

It is quite surprising that churches would provide open and sex-positive sexuality education to the community (Jolly, Cornwall, & Hawkins, 2013). Normally, churches and religious leaders seem to advocate against sexual activities, stating that only married individuals should engage in sex, instead of providing sex-positive education. The fact that the churches in Malawi provided open and sex-positive sexuality education is, therefore, quite surprising. I think faith and sex-positivity seem opposite as a result of the common sex-negative education that church leaders provide. I think the church should provide more open and sex-positive education, as it has a wide reach in the community.

References

Jolly, S., Cornwall, A., & Hawkins, K. (Eds.). (2013). Women, sexuality and the political power of pleasure. Zed Books Ltd.

Kinsey: Did you receive medically accurate information about topics like masturbation, sex, and reproduction when you were growing up? Consider what you learned from school, family, the media, and/or religious institutions.

I did not receive any information, whether medically accurate or inaccurate, about issues such as sex, masturbation, and reproduction when I was growing up. In my community, the culture viewed such topics as taboo to speak about, and conversations about sex-related issues were not common or open. It is only through social media and school that I learned about these issues, not from my family, the community, or religious institutions. Through social media, I have learned about reproduction and sexuality, while school has enlightened me on these issues by providing accurate information.