Editing Swinging (sexual practice) (section)

{{short description|Non-monogamous sexual practice}}
{{globalize||United States|date=June 2023}}
{{Close relationships}}
'''Swinging''', earlier commonly known as '''wife-swapping''', is a [[Human sexual activity|sexual activity]] in which both singles and partners in a [[committed relationship]] sexually engage with others for [[casual sex|recreational]] purposes.<ref name="case_for_swingers">{{cite journal |journal=[[Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality]] |last=Bergstrand |first=Curtis |author2=Blevins Williams, Jennifer |date=October 10, 2000 |title=Today's Alternative Marriage Styles: The Case of Swingers |volume=3 |access-date=December 24, 2020 |url=http://www.ejhs.org/volume3/swing/body.htm}}</ref> Swinging is a form of [[non-monogamy]]. People may choose a swinging lifestyle for a variety of reasons. Practitioners cite an increased quality and quantity of sex. Some people may engage in swinging to add variety into their otherwise conventional sex lives or due to their curiosity. Some couples see swinging as a healthy outlet and means to strengthen their relationship.<ref name="case_for_swingers" />

The term "wife swapping" was introduced by the media in the United States during the 1950s to describe this emerging phenomenon.<ref name="case_for_swingers" /> Swinging, or its wider discussion and practice, is regarded by some as arising from the freer attitudes to sexual activity after the [[sexual revolution]] of the 1960s, the invention and availability of the [[contraceptive pill]], and the emergence of treatments for many of the [[sexually transmitted infection]]s that were known at that time. The adoption of [[safe sex]] practices became more common in the late 1980s. It is also a recurring theme in [[pornography]]. 

The swingers community sometimes refers to itself as "the lifestyle", or as "the alternative lifestyle".<ref>{{cite book|last=Bergstrand|first=Curtis R.|title=Swinging in America : love, sex, and marriage in the 21st century|year=2010|publisher=Praeger/ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|isbn=978-0313379666|author2=Sinski, Jennifer Blevins }}</ref> <!-- not supported in article: Another term, "hotwife / hotwifing" specifically refers to a married woman who often has sexual relations with different men, with the approval of her husband. -->