Graded Structure in Sexual Definitions: Categorizations of Having “Had Sex” and Virginity Loss Among Homosexual and Heterosexual Men and Women

Abstract

Definitions of sexual behavior display a robust hierarchy of agreement regarding whether or not acts should be classed as, for example, sex or virginity loss. The current research offers a theoretical explanation for this hierarchy, proposing that sexual definitions display graded categorical structure, arising from goodness of membership judgments. Moderation of this graded structure is also predicted, with the focus here on how sexual orientation identity affects sexual definitions. A total of 300 18- to 30-year-old participants completed an online survey, rating 18 behaviors for how far each constitutes having “had sex” and virginity loss. Participants fell into one of four groups: heterosexual male or female, gay male or lesbian. The predicted ratings hierarchy emerged, in which bidirectional genital acts were rated significantly higher than unidirectional or nonpenetrative contact, which was in turn rated significantly higher than acts involving no genital contact. Moderation of graded structure was also in line with predictions. Compared to the other groups, the lesbian group significantly upgraded ratings of genital contact that was either unidirectional or nonpenetrative. There was also evidence of upgrading by the gay male sample of anal intercourse ratings. These effects are theorized to reflect group-level variation in experience, contextual perspective, and identity-management. The implications of the findings in relation to previous research are discussed. It is suggested that a graded structure approach can greatly benefit future research into sexual definitions, by permitting variable definitions to be predicted and explained, rather than merely identified.

The concept of virginity from the perspective of Iranian adolescents: a qualitative study

“…Nevertheless, the cultural and social place of virginity and the attitude of people toward premarital sexual relationship has been changed considerably within the last few years following the incorrect perceptions of virginity and changes in the world value system [7]. Premarital sex is accepted in many countries and measures have been taken to secure this relationship [8]. On the other hand, in some countries, virginity is considered a value for females, especially at the time of marriage.…”

Saúde Sexual E Reprodutiva Na Atenção Primária À Saúde: Relatos De Mulheres Lésbicas

“…A informação sobre a homossexualidade de mulheres aos profissionais de saúde pareceu não promover qualquer tipo de intervenção, As experiências relacionadas ao procedimento de coleta de material para exame citopatológico do colo do útero fizeram notabilizar uma espécie de mito em torno da virgindade de mulheres lésbicas. Tal mito fundamenta-se nas representações acerca dos comportamentos sexuais e na concordância quanto à dúvida sobre se certos atos devem ou não ser classificados como sexo ou perda da virgindade (25) . Numa perspectiva heteronormativa dominante, é possível supor que prepondera a ideia de que a mulher só deixa de ser virgem no momento em que tem o hímen rompido, ao ser penetrada na relação sexual com um homem.…”

Is orgasmic meditation a form of sex?: practitioners of orgasmic meditation view the practice as significantly more similar to meditation than to sex or fondling

“…Penile-vaginal intercourse is most reliably labelled as "sex," followed by anal intercourse, oral-genital contact, manual-genital touching, touching the breasts/nipples, and kissing. 9 Overall, this hierarchy holds across groups, though some variations have been found between specific categories. For example, lesbians are more likely to consider manual-genital contact "sex" than other groups.…”