Editing Sexual norm

{{More citations needed|date=January 2008}}{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2019}}
{{Short description|Concept of normal sexuality, whether social or personal}}
{{Use American English|date = February 2019}}

A '''sexual norm''' can refer to a [[person]]al or a [[Norm (sociology)|social]] norm. Most cultures have social norms regarding [[Human sexuality|sexuality]], and define ''[[normal (behavior)|normal]] sexuality'' to consist only of certain [[sex acts]] between individuals who meet specific [[age of consent|age criteria]], [[consanguinity|nonconsanguinity]] (vs. [[incest]]), [[Race (human categorization)|race]]/[[ethnicity]] (vs. [[miscegenation|interracial relationships]]), and/or social role and [[socioeconomic status]].

In most societies, the term ''normal'' identifies a range or [[spectrum]] of behaviors. Rather than each act being simply classified as "acceptable" or "not acceptable", many acts are viewed as "more or less accepted" by different people, and the opinion on how normal or acceptable they are greatly depends on the individual making the opinion as well as the culture itself. Based on information gained from [[sexology|sexological]] studies, a great many ordinary people's sex lives are very often quite different from popular beliefs about ''normal'', in private.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bozon|first1=Michel|last2=Rennes|first2=Juliette|author-link2=Juliette Rennes|title=The history of sexual norms: the hold of age and gender|date=February 2015|publisher=Belin|isbn=9782701194325|page=304|edition=42|url=https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_CLIO1_042_0007--the-history-of-sexual-norms-the-hold.htm|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref>

If non-restrictive sexual norms are regarded positively, they may be called "'''sexual freedom'''", "[[Sexual revolution|sexual liberation]]" or "[[free love]]". If they are regarded negatively, they may be called "sexual licence" or "[[licentiousness]]". Restrictive social norms, if judged negatively, are called ''sexual oppression''.  If the restrictive norms are judged positively, they may be regarded as encouraging [[chastity]], "sexual self-restraint" or "sexual decency", and negative terms are used for the targeted sexuality, e.g. ''[[sexual abuse]]'' and ''[[perversion]]''.

==Social attitudes==
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In the West, some people have relaxed the traditional definitions of normality, choosing instead to define normal sexuality as any sexual practice which does not involve what are regarded as sexual perversions. However, using this definition makes use of a long list of sexual perversions which themselves show up hidden assumptions about cultural norms. Recently, in Western society, [[informed consent|consensual]] [[paraphilia]]s are becoming more acceptable, in particular "any activity, not otherwise illegal, performed between consenting adults in private."

This liberalization of attitudes has resulted in the [[Decriminalization of homosexuality|decriminalisation of homosexuality]] in many countries, following the ground-breaking [[Wolfenden report]] in the United Kingdom.

There is a tendency in Western countries towards [[serial monogamy]] as a normal heterosexual lifestyle.  There is also a movement towards recognizing long-term homosexual relationships (''see [[same-sex marriage]]'').

There is also greater acceptance of sexual relationships (partnerships) without requiring the sanction of a form of marriage recognised by the church, state or legal system.

These liberalizing trends can be contrasted with [[conservatism|conservative]] social trends that seek to reverse these patterns of behaviour, with encouragement for young people to choose traditionally accepted roles, beliefs and behaviors, and to exercise [[sexual abstinence]] or non-[[promiscuity|promiscuous]] lifestyles before marriage.

There is an opposing trend in reaction, that views such changes as a socially destructive force, and is opposed to them. It is often, though not exclusively, associated with people who have [[religious]] feelings, and is prevalent in much of [[Christianity]] in America, as well as [[Islam]] in the [[Middle East]] and [[Asia]], and other devout religious groups such as [[Haredi]] [[Judaism|Jews]] in [[Israel]].  In such countries there is often strong criticism of [[alternative sexuality|non-traditional sexualities]] and [[sexual liberation]].

Some social unrest in both Eastern and Western cultures is due to this conflict between these two trends, and views upon acceptability and control of social and sexual norms.

== See also ==
* [[Catholic teachings on sexual morality]]
* [[Religion and sexuality]]
* [[Reproductive rights]]
* [[Same-sex marriage]]
* [[Sex and the law]]
* [[Sex-positive feminism]]
* [[Sex-positive movement]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|normophilia}}
{{Wiktionary|Wikisaurus:normophile}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060908190217/http://www.rawilsonfans.com/articles/SexualFreedom.htm Sexual Freedom Why It Is Feared]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120527192911/http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080507_118558_118558 Lil Wayne and Baby Sitting in a Tree]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100614213154/http://www.scribd.com/doc/16896548/Korotayev-Kazankov-Factors-of-Sexual-Freedom-among-HunterGatherers-in-CrossCultural-Perspective-CrossCultural-Research-The-Journal-of-Compara Factors of Sexual Freedom among Hunter-Gatherers in Cross-Cultural Perspective]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sexual Norm}}
[[Category:Sexuality and society]]
[[Category:History of human sexuality]]
[[Category:Sociological terminology]]