Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Question 1

What does Ethnocentrism mean concerning sexual norms?

Answer 1

That your society’s norms are the only ones and the best way/ideal way of thinking

Question 2

Why study sexual norms in different cultures?

Answer 2

1. provides insight into how culture influences sexual behavior
   - Ethnocentrism
   - diversity and universality of sexual norms
2. illustrates the importance of learning in shaping human sexual behavior
3. Demonstrates how “sexual normalcy” is a relative concept
4. Demonstrates how cultural attitudes, customs and beliefs about sex and sexuality assign MEANING to the individual’s sexual behaviour.
5. Is essential in analyzing sexually related problems/issues in the world and is key in finding solutions.

Question 3

Examples of universal taboos

Answer 3

1. 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
2. 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

Question 4

Sexually Permissive Society

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

Sexually Restrictive Society

Answer 5

• 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)

Question 6

Semi-Restrictive Society

Answer 6

Has some tolerance but still many rules (our laws/ social policies)

Question 7

Where does Canada sit in the permissive/ restrictive continuum?

Answer 7

Semi-Restrictive

Question 8

Low-anxiety Society, what does “anxiety mean in this context?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

High-anxiety Society

Answer 9

• a lot of emotional shame or discomfort or embarrassment to talk about sexuality and behaviour

Question 10

What type of sexuality around the world is more restrictive?

Answer 10

Female sexuality

Question 11

How could cultural attitudes assign meaning to sexual behavior?

Answer 11

Ex: encouraging women to masturbate because it will lead to good menstruation which would lead to good baby-making (fertility)

Question 12

how could analyzing sexually related problems/issues help us find solutions?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What are two dimensions of cross-cultural variation in values, linked to socioeconomic development?

Answer 13

1. traditional vs secular-rational values
2. survival values vs. self-expression values

Question 14

Traditional Values

Answer 14

• importance of religion
• family ties
• social conformity: following cultural practices
• National pride: will go to war for a country
• rejection of divorce
• pro-life

Question 15

Secular-rational values

Answer 15

• less emphasis on religion
• individualistic - act in best interest of onself
• divorce and abortion are acceptable

Question 16

survival values

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

Self-expression values

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

Nepal Video: Polyandry

Question 19

Canada vs. US

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Comparing provinces in Canada

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Sex research: research method

Answer 21

survey method
- self-reports
- to be taken with a grain of salt

Question 22

Purposeful distortion

Answer 22

• 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?

Question 23

volunteer bias

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Demographic bias

Answer 24

• W.I.E.R.D.
• University students who recieve compensation - young emerging adult cohort

Question 25

Correlational - not cause and effect

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Research bias

Answer 26

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