The Concept of Sexual Hook-Up Culture - Essay Example

The Sexual Hook-up Culture Sexual hook-up culture refers to the sexual encounters occurring among persons that are not in any way involved in a romantic relationship or dating. Recent statistics show a rising trend of the culture among campus students (Bearak 483). Review of the Articles The New York Times, ‘Teaching Generation Y the basics of a Strong Relationship,’ Feb. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/education/edlife/teaching-generation-y- the-basics-of-a-strong-relationship.html (Accessed, 25 Mar. 2015) This is a newspaper article that has been written by a lecturer at a university. The author is triggered to write this article following a discussion he hears two students having concerning marriage. In particular, the students belong to the generation Y and they are seemingly not enthusiastic about marriage. In the conversation, one of the students in the conversation confesses that they will get ready for marriage when they are at least 30 years of age and have developed a career; otherwise for now they will only “party it up.” In the article, the author explores the issue of hooking up and hanging out as being the reason for students not getting ready to get married any soon. According to the author, hooking up is quite prevalent among campus students and is one of the issues that has led them to have a “seemingly blithe attitude about marriage, perhaps even about love.” The author also attributes the low regard towards marriage by the Y generation as coming from the parents who insist that grades and education is more important than trump romantic relationships. The author also blames the mainstream and other media for having a bad influence on the Y generation. In particular, he cites the constant breaks up and divorce cases which have led this generation to develop a negative attitude towards marriage (The New York Times www.nytimes.com). The author documents a research that shows that the levels of empathy have dropped significantly among students over the past 10 years. The research argues that the levels of self-esteem and narcissism have increased amongst students creating a non-committal mindset amongst them and thus giving way to hooking up. The author observes that the hookup culture is continually leaving generation Y not only unhappy but also sexually unfulfilled. Intimacy among these people is at an all time low as they seem to have no feelings (The New York Times www.nytimes.com). Lastly, the author of the article proposes the need to teach the Y generation how to love. He argues that although the hooking up culture has set a bad precedent, there is still hope for the generation. According to the author, setting up student counseling centers at universities where students are taught the significance of the relationship could be of great help to the Y generation (The New York Times www.nytimes.com). The Huffington Post, Unprotected College Hookups Increase from Freshman Year to Senior Year, October 2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/unprotected-college- hookups_n_6022580.html?ir=India (Accessed, 25 Mar. 2015) This is a newspaper article which delves more into quantitative data. The article is written by a journalist out to depict how an increasing number students engaging in sexual hookup behaviors do not use protection. According to the author, the use of protection among students decreases significantly from the freshman years all through to senior year. The author cites a study at a university which found that for women, unprotected sex occurred 7% of the time while in freshman year and increased significantly to 16% of the time in senior year. The same was true for men although the percentage dropped to 6% in freshman and 15% in senior year (The Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com). In trying to explain this data, the author went on to investigate the influence of demographics, dating history and sexual history of individual students. The author argues that the results indicated that the different social status had an influence on condom use. For instance, students from better family backgrounds were found to use condoms the least in the freshman year compared to those students from poor family backgrounds. This can be argued that students from better family setups often feel safer and, as such, do not take warnings of the dangers of unprotected sex seriously. On the other hand, students from poor socioeconomic backgrounds are threatened and, therefore, tend to take precaution (The Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com). The author also investigated data to determine the prevalence of hookup culture among students. According to the article, there were significantly a high number of freshmen students who had hooked up and went on dates. While most of these had casual sex, there were those students who never had sex although their numbers were quite small. The socio-economic background also had an influence the same. For example, the article establishes that a significantly high number of students from poor family setups take precaution due to the fear of teenage pregnancy (The Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com). The overall statistics in the article, however suggest an increasing probability of having sex throughout the college career. As for men, the percentage starts at 43% in freshman year and increases to 52% at senior year. Women, on the other hand, the probability starts at 27% at freshman year and increases to 33% at the senior year. Comparison of the Articles While the two articles are from reputable newspapers, they show a great deal of disparity both in the writing style and the motivation of writing. The first article on teaching generation Y the foundations of a strong relationship is basically a qualitative article. The motivation of writing article comes as a result of the lecturer incidentally hearing some students having a conversation about marriage. It is at this stage that it strikes the author that hooking up is a serious issue among students. The second article is a quantitative article which employs from reputable sources in trying to explain the factors behind the high prevalence rates of unprotected sex among campus students. Unlike the first article, the motivation of writing the article is clear; trying to uncover the underlying causes of the sexual behaviors shown by students throughout their life in college. Throughout the article, the author uses empirical evidence from reputable journals such as the Jonathan Marc-Oxford Journals in establishing evidence. The articles are also peculiarly similar in the sense that they both deal with a sensitive topic in the society. The authors are focusing on the issue of sexual hooking up and how it is affecting the Y generation. Both articles have unearthed the fundamental causes of the paradigm shift seen among millennials and thus provide an opportunity of correcting the gap. The issue of “Hookup” culture relates to human sexuality in the sense that traditionally the issue of sex has always been treated sacredly. It has always been a held belief that sex often strengthens the bond of people in a relationship. This is, however, changing as people are willing to engage in sexual activities without any form of commitment. It is a revolution that depicts how previously held beliefs are quickly changing in the face of modern man. Supportive Literature The articles are dealing with a pertinent issue in the society as evidenced by the pieces of literature available on the same. In his article, Bearak (483) for instance, describes the life-change in the sexual behavior of undergraduates in “hook-ups.” In his work, Bearak shows the apparent decline in the numbers of condom use among students in college. He cites issues such as family background, school gender imbalance and being in the same environment as variables that contribute the decline to condom use. In addition, Bearak attributes the tendency for students to adapt to “hookup” culture as a result of the normalization it has been given in high-education culture. Garcia (161) has also done exceptional work on “Hookup” culture in which case he reflects on the societal behavior changes with regards to sex. He describes hookup culture as involving sexual activities such as kissing, oral sex and penetrative sex without any form of commitment. Most importantly, Garcia’s (162) work agrees with the New York Times over the relative increase of the practice among the adolescents and young adults. The article also argues that the modern educational setting especially in college and the need to advance careers as the driving force behind the increasing rate of “Hookup” culture in colleges. Elizabeth, England and Alison (435) also investigated the prevalence of “Hookup” culture in colleges. In their study, the three set out to determine the part played by social and psychological predictors in “hookup” culture. The results of the study showed that the different social, individual and psychological variables among various students were largely responsible in determining the ease with which student embraced the “hookup” culture. Social Impact Sexual Hook-ups culture has changed significantly how people relate. The courtship process that traditionally ensured in relationships is being threatened. People are no longer as passionate as they used to in earlier times. There are many incidences of divorce and family break-ups and these can be attributed to this culture. The culture is also seen to contribute to sexual violence. In a majority of the cases, hook up culture is associated with alcohol (Heldman & Wade 324). A study showed that more than half of college sexual encounters with someone who is not a steady partner involve alcohol. Upon taking alcohol, the partners then engage in sexual activities. In the event that the lady declines, then instances of sexual violence such as rape ensue. Many people do not even talk to their hook-ups afterward; instead, they go home and tell their friends (Heldman & Wade 325). Personal Impact Engaging in hook-ups may lead to psychosocial difficulties such as loss of self esteem and a feeling of guilty among those who have been in the practice. Casual sex may also lead to increased depressive symptoms and inhibited interpersonal skills. In addition, hook-ups may lead to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections; consequently, raising socio-economic costs and even rejection on the part of the perpetrators. People who have the tendency to hookup frequently are less likely to get involved in more emotionally-involved romantic relationships and this may impact on their future relationships (Elizabeth et al. 437). Hookup culture may also lead to the discrimination of the people involved by the society. This is especially serious on the part of women compared to men. It is often the case that the society has had standards in which case it looks down on women but fails to blame men who make a habit of having frequent, uncommitted sex. Consequently, this may have a huge negative impact on the women involved (Garcia 165). Conclusion In conclusion, sexual hookup culture is part of a popular culture shift that has infiltrated the lives of emerging adults throughout the western world. The culture is frequent among college students (generation Y) and threatens to erode the traditional ways of relationships. It is a sensitive issue in the society and as such, there is a need for colleges and other concerned institutions to setup counseling centers to offer students advice on the same. Works Cited Bearak, Jonathan. “Casual Contraception in Casual Sex: Life-Cycle Change in Undergraduates’ Sexual Behavior in Hookups,” Social Forces (2014). 93, 483-513. Elizabeth A, England P, & Alison C.K, “Hookups”: Characteristics and correlates of college students spontaneous and anonymous sexual experiences,” American Sociological Review (2012) 77, 435-462. Garcia, J.R., Massey S.G., Merriwether A.M., & Chris R. “Sexual Hook-up Culture: A Review,” Review of General Psychology, 2012. 16(2): 161-176 Heldman, C., Wade, L. “Hook-Up Culture: Setting a New Research Agenda.” Sexual Research and Social Policy, 2010. 7 (4), 323-333. The Huffington Post, Unprotected College Hookups Increase from Freshman Year to Senior Year, October 2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/unprotected- collegehookups_n_6022580.html?ir=India (Accessed, 25 Mar. 2015) The New York Times, ‘Teaching Generation Y the basics of a Strong Relationship,’ Feb. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/education/edlife/teaching-generation-y- the-basics-of-a-strong-relationship.html (Accessed, 25 Mar. 2015) Read More