Sex and its role in relationships is one of the most contentious features of human interaction that just about every couple spends years trying to figure out just how it is meant to work. In previous generations, sex was largely a taboo subject, only discussed behind closed doors and never referred to in company.
Young adults had to pretty much figure stuff out on their own as it was hardly any sort of appropriate dinner time conversation among friends or family. A stark contrast to how the subject is treated today.
Sex is everywhere today; billboards, magazines, TV and radio ads, social media sites – and it is used to sell everything from car insurance to green tea. And because of evolving social standards and intense media pressure, the very nature of sexual behavior in our relationships has undergone a transformation – yet largely remains a contentious subject matter.
Young adults are being brought up in an environment where sexuality is celebrated to levels that most definitely cross the lines of exploitation. Massive percentages of young, college students are sexually active and have been for some time. And we live in an age where sexual relationships are perceived as having a totally different value than once before.
Our grandparents before us would never have dreamed of having sex before marriage, yet, here we are, just 3 generations later, having sex barely out of high school and getting married having had multiple sexual partners.
So where does that leave the role of sex in relationships these days – is it even something that is considered to be sacred anymore?
With the introduction of the internet not too long ago, students were suddenly exposed to vast amounts of scantily clad men and women and pornography was immediately available on phones, computers, hand held devices and being exchanged through email.
And as a generation were in the process of being desensitized to graphic sexual images just through advertising alone. Sex education was being introduced in junior high school and condoms were being handed out like flyers for a bazaar.
Sex no longer became a special, sacred event; it was starting to be considered a natural progression after just one date. And for some, it was even considered a right – a thank you for dinner and desert.
The bottom line is – sex within relationships has changed – forever. In fact, it is no longer necessary to be in a committed relationship to have a sexual partner, and it is not uncommon to hear the term ‘’Friends with benefits’’ among college students, who don’t have the time or energy to wine and dine any prospective partner, and just call up late at night for a few hours of ‘’benefits’’ cutting right to the chase.
But there are glimmers of change, with many couples being loud and proud about their right to abstain until marriage – but is either concept getting it right? You will have to be the judge of that.
