Conclusion: Changing Sexual Practices and Scripts

Abstract

In the course of the 20th century, sexuality has been secularised (Weeks 1986; Heiskala 1999). Less governed by divine or governmental laws, adult sexuality has become more dependent of the individual’s own choice of lifestyle. It has also gradually become detached from the institution of marriage. Four major trends in the development of sexual social life were apparent in the results of our study. They all reflect the general trend from traditionalism to liberalisation. The first is the secularisation of sex. Increasingly, sexuality is perceived as a personal choice detached from religious and other ideological values imposed from above. The second major trend is the liberalisation of attitudes and the emphasis on sexual rights and health of people who belong in differing categories of gender, sexual orientation, or inclination. The third change is the growing diversity of domestic life forms. The traditional connection between marriage, the family and sexuality has been severed. Fourth, sexuality has become more hedonistic, pleasure-oriented and recreational, as the role of reproduction in sexual life has diminished. (Weeks 1986, 92–6; Heiskala 1999; Lottes and Kontula 2000).