Cross-Cultural Perspectives Flashcards
What does Ethnocentrism mean concerning sexual norms?
That your society’s norms are the only ones and the best way/ideal way of thinking
Why study sexual norms in different cultures?
- provides insight into how culture influences sexual behavior
- Ethnocentrism
- diversity and universality of sexual norms - illustrates the importance of learning in shaping human sexual behavior
- Demonstrates how “sexual normalcy” is a relative concept
- Demonstrates how cultural attitudes, customs and beliefs about sex and sexuality assign MEANING to the individual’s sexual behaviour.
- Is essential in analyzing sexually related problems/issues in the world and is key in finding solutions.
Examples of universal taboos
- Incest Taboo: when related people engage in sexual activity, because it’s a taboo, it’s the banning of it (forbidden)
- Because of genetic issues, morality, uncomfortable
- sometimes relates to people in the same clan/ same side of island - Post-Partum Taboo: after a woman has birthed a baby she should not have sex.
- Told by OBGYN, or doctor
- 4-6 weeks - to allow the woman to recover and heal after birthing
Sexually Permissive Society
- positive attitudes and tolerance towards freedom of sexual expression,
- don’t have very many rules, have some but not very many
- These societies are permissive because sexuality is conceived as something that is a natural part of development
Sexually Restrictive Society
- They seek to restrain and control sexual expression, in a very rigid way
- Because the role that certain aspects of sexuality have in a person’s development is seen as negative and bad OR they are unaware and don’t have the knowledge of it (ex: some societies don’t have the knowledge to know the difference between menstruation, ovulation, and intercourse)
Semi-Restrictive Society
Has some tolerance but still many rules (our laws/ social policies)
Where does Canada sit in the permissive/ restrictive continuum?
Semi-Restrictive
Low-anxiety Society, what does “anxiety mean in this context?
Anxiety: idea around fear and taboo’s (emotional connection to the meaning of anxiety and taboo)
- no emotional shame or discomfort or embarrassment to talk about sexuality and behaviour
High-anxiety Society
- a lot of emotional shame or discomfort or embarrassment to talk about sexuality and behaviour
What type of sexuality around the world is more restrictive?
Female sexuality
Example of how cultural attitudes could assign meaning to sexual behavior?
Ex: encouraging women to masturbate because it will lead to good menstruation which would lead to good baby-making (fertility)
What would be a solution we could do by having knowledge of sexually related problems/issues (STI’s)?
Ex: Spread of HIV - putting condoms in the bathrooms of high schools
But this couldn’t be done in Ethiopia due to health resource availability, power imbalances
What are two dimensions of cross-cultural variation in values, linked to socioeconomic development?
- traditional vs secular-rational values
- survival values vs. self-expression values
Traditional Values
- importance of religion
- family ties
- social conformity: following cultural practices
- National pride: will go to war for a country
- rejection of divorce
- pro-life
Secular-rational values
- less emphasis on religion
- individualistic - act in best interest of onself
- divorce and abortion are acceptable
survival values
- economic and physical security
- authoritarian political outlook (dictatorship)
- distrust of outgroups
- traditional gender roles + sexual norms
- rigid rules + traditional families: maximize predictability in an uncertain world
When survival becomes taken for granted because there are plenty of resources to go around, ethnic diversity/sexual diversity becomes more acceptable and becomes positive and valued because its interesting and stimulating
Self-expression values
- Ethnic, cultural and sexual diversity tolerance and acceptance
- Subjective well-being
- Civic activism
- Emancipative values (freedom of choice, equality of opportunities, and empowerment of women): the most important factor in progressing women’s empowerment
Nepal Video: Polyandry
- 1 woman, multiple husbands, mainly brothers
- land is scarse: preserves the farm + the families future
- form of birth control, controls the population number
Threat to it: education
This is traditional + survival values!
Canada vs. US
We look at research done on sexuality in the US… but it is not generalizable to us because we are more permissive.
Reasons:
1. Religion: In the US there are many fundamental Christians who have very conservative and restrictive views on sexuality (bible belt)
2.: Government: special interest groups have lobbying power and a lot of money which they use to ask the government to push social policies on abstinence in schools… abstinence programs are funded in schools
Comparing provinces in Canada
There are differences but one that stands out from the others in Quebec
Quebec= more permissive
Reasons:
1. Colonization of Quebec by roman catholic
2. Quiet revolution because the church was involved in everything
- the population rebelled and the health, education, and social services became more secular
Sex research: research method
survey method
- self-reports
- to be taken with a grain of salt
Purposeful distortion
- feelings of embarrassment will allow participants to out wrong or exaggerated answers
- people want to look good (social desirability)
ex: many may not honestly answer if they’ve ever chated on their partners in the past or forced someone to sleep with them - Questions with “How much”, “how long”, “when was the first time”, and “How did you feel” - we’re not good at recall or estimating which can lead to social desirability
- Ambiguity of words: “how many times have you had sex in the last month” … well what does that mean? What type of sex?
volunteer bias
People who accept to participate in these surveys are different than the ones who say no
so if we have many people who volunteer (and have a permissive attitude) it will give skewed results cause were not getting the larger picture from the whole population
Demographic bias
- W.I.E.R.D.
- University students who recieve compensation - young emerging adult cohort
Correlational - not cause and effect
Ex: A survey found Ontario has sex 6x a month and Newfoundland has sex 10x a month… this doesn’t mean you’ll have more sex if you move there
Research bias
When researchers have an ulterior motive (like money) they may massage the data to make it look like many people need their product, for example, viagra (Pfizer 40% of men experience Erectile Dysfunction)
Noe researchers have to declare any conflict of interest
