LAUMANN, Edward O., John H. GAGNON, Robert T. MICHAEL, and Stuart MICHAELS, THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF SEXUALITY

Abstract

LAUMANN, Edward O., John H. GAGNON, Robert T. MICHAEL, and Stuart MICHAELS, THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF SEXUALITY: Sexual Practices in the United States, Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1994, 718pp., $49.95 hardcover. This book reflects the complexity of sexual expression by providing an enormous amount of data about who does what sexually, with whom, how often, and with what consequences. It reports on the sexual behavior of adults between the ages of 18 and 59 in the United States. The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) is based on standardized interviews of 1'/2 hours conducted in 1992 with 3,432 respondents from the non-institutionalized civilian population, utilizing an area probability design with supplementary samples of Black and Hispanic residents. The impetus for the study was the AIDS crisis in the 1980s when health authorities recognized that reliable information on sexual practices was lacking. The authors embarked on a seven year journey, replete with political interference and funding cuts. They remind us that there are many limitations imposed on the design which originally called for a more adequate sample size of between 10,000 and 20,000 persons. They achieved, however, a remarkable response rate of close to 80 percent. This book reflects the efforts of many individuals and systematically presents the theory informing the study, the study design, and a detailed statistical report and analysis of the data. The book is no easy-read and seems more like a reference. In order to appreciate the wealth of findings reported in Part II, it is important to read the first two chapters. Chapter 1 presents the theoretical foundations of scripting theory for explaining sexual content, choice theory with respect to sexual decision-making, and social network theory with its focus on the sexual dyad. Chapter 2 provides an informative discussion of the issues relating to the survey design. Part II consists of seven chapters and it would be tempting to reel out the major findings: for example, about masturbation being a less salient form of sexual expression for women compared to men; or that in any given year, over 80% of all adults aged 18 to 59 have no sex partners or only one; or that the proportions who report having has extramarital or extra-cohabitational affairs are seldom greater than 25 percent. But such reporting does not do justice to the researchers' findings and their analyses. An in-depth examination of selected chapters in Part II will yield rewards. Thus Chapter 8 on homosexuality provides an excellent review of previous research as well as their own results, pooled with data from the National General Social Survey (GSS) which has included a self-administered form with sexual behavior questions since 1988. The authors' conclusion is that there is no single answer to questions about the prevalence of homosexuality: it is a complex, multidimensional phenomena whose salient features are related to one another in highly contingent and diverse ways. Similar statements could be made about other aspects of their findings. Part III of the book focuses on the consequences of sexual behavior and considers sexuality, health, and happiness; the incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections; sexual behavior and fertility; sexual behavior and cohabitational partnerships; and finally, normative orientations toward sexuality, namely, the traditional, relational and recreational orientations. …