The aim of the present study was to find out whether age and gender have an influence on the sexual attitudes of people. The following five components of sexual attitude were studied namely: Attitude towards pre-marital sex, polygamy, and pornography. The sample size consisted of 100 subjects in which 50 were from the age group of 18-28 years further divided equally with respect to gender (25-male, 25-female) and the other 50 in the age group of 50-60 years similarly divided into male and female. 2x2 Factorial design was used as the research design for the present study. The sample was first divided in two groups on the basis of age and then further on the basis of gender. Personal data sheet and a questionnaire titled ‘Sexual Attitude Scale’ developed by Amit Abraham were used for data collection. Gathered data was calculated and analyzed by F-test (ANOVA). The results revealed that subjects in the age group of 18-28 years had a favorable sexual attitude and 50-60 years had an unfavorable sexual attitude. On the basis of gender, males showed a favorable sexual attitude over females. While studying the interaction of age and gender on sexual attitudes it was found that males in the age group of 18-28 years had the most favorable sexual attitude whereas the females in the age groups of 50-60 years had the least favorable sexual attitude.

 

Keywords: Sexual Attitude, Pornography, Pre-marital Sex, Polygamy

INTRODUCTION

Sexual attitude of an individual can be towards several factors. In the present study the sexual attitude of an individual towards pre-marital sex, polygamy and pornography were concerned. Sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex is considered important more in the case of youngsters and adolescents since it can be huge step towards physical and emotional maturation in them. The first sexual experience can have a lasting impact on an individual’s psychology. Studies [1] have talked about teen sexual behavior and the prevalence of the theory of reasoned action. The study involved adolescents from the 9th-11th graders. Exposure to pornography can lead to several problems in an individual’s life. Excessive consumption of porn at an early stage of life can lead to several behavioral changes in adolescents. Researchers [2] have talked about the influence of the exposure of pornography on rape and sexual assault. According to the study exposure to pornography can lead to sexual aggression which can lead to several problems in the behavior of the individuals as well in their romantic relationships. Doring [3] has emphasized on the internet’s impact of sexuality. This research paper focused on six aspects of online sexuality: Pornography, sex shops, sex work, sex education, sex contacts, and sexual subcultures. This paper helps us understand the role of internet in the sexuality of adolescents and adults equally. Sexual attitude towards polygamy is mostly influenced by the relationships an individual is exposed to in one’s family and the closest friends. Religious beliefs also influence one’s sexual attitude towards polygamy. Several factors play a role in the manifestation of sexual attitude towards all the factors discussed above.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Pornography embodies objectification of women which is then internalized by the viewers of the same. Krawczyk and Thompson [4] have discussed the influence of advertisements in the internalization of the objectification of women. It also discussed body image issues that women face in the society. Roles of gender are also internalized through these advertisements. Studies [5] have talked about the impact of mass media exposure on the acceptance of violence against women. This paper talked about why mass media makes it easier to accept violence against women. Mesch [6] talked about the influence of internet pornography on the social and psychological development of adolescents who has an excessive porn consumption on a regular basis. The paper found that the adolescents who had excessive porn consumption had different social characteristics than adolescents who did not. Scientists [7] have discussed the impact of sexually-elicit literature on the sexual behaviour of the individual. The paper results show that sexually-elicit literature or pornography influences things like the number of partners an individual has and substance abuse. It also influences an individual’s sexual health.

 

METHODOLOGY

The objectives of the present study

•     To study the differences in the attitude towards pre-marital sex with reference to age and gender

•     To observe the differences in the attitude towards polygamy with reference to age and gender

•     To compare the differences in the attitude towards pornography with reference to age and gender

The null hypothesis

•   There is no significant difference in the attitude towards pre-marital sex between individuals with reference to age and gender

•   There is no significant difference in the attitude towards monogamy between individuals with reference to age and gender

•   There is no significant difference in the attitude towards pornography between individuals with reference to age and gender

The variables of the present study are given in Table 1.

RESEARCH TOOLS

Sexual Attitude Scale (S.A.S.)

Sexual Attitude Scale developed by Amit Abraham, was a lecturer at the Department of Psychology in St John’s College, Agra. The Sexual Attitude Scale measures an individual’s attitude towards five aspects separately, namely premarital sex, monogamy, pornography, lesbianism and homosexuality. Each of these are considered as individual scales.

The meaning and break-up of the scales used in the research study are described are follows:

•   The Premarital Sex Scale (PSS): measures an individual’s attitude towards premarital sex and its effects on the constitution of marriage. It also measures if the individual supports safe sex if in favour of premarital sex. It consists of 14 positively worded statements.

•  The Polygamy Scale (PS): measures an individual’s attitude towards polygamy and what is the importance of monogamy in marriage. It also measures how liberal is the individual with the idea of sex outside marriage. It consists 22 statements.

•   The Pornography Scale (PGS): measures an individual’s attitude towards the production and distribution of pornographic literature in the society. It also measures the individual’s consideration of a female’s representation in porn. It consists of 16 statements, both favorable and unfavorable in equal ratio Reliability

 

The reliability was worked out by both split half and test-retest method (3 months interval between retesting) for each of the SAS. Table 2 shows the Reliability for each scale.

Validity

The face of validity of the scales is fairly high as the items are prepared after intensive discussion with various men and women after survey of available literature on male and female sexuality. Of these, only those items which had high t-value (greater than 1.75, Edwards, 1969) following item analysis were finally selected for the scales.

Statistical analysis

 

To test the hypothesis number 1-5 framed from the factorial design; analysis of variance ANOVA and mean were used so as to study the influence of main and interactional effects of the two main independent variables on dependent variables.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Attitude towards pre-marital sex (Tables 3-5)

PSS with Reference to Age (18-28 and 50-60 years)

The results of ANOVA on sexual attitude score Table 3 are consulted, and it is found that F-ratio for age groups is 13.17, which is significant at 0.01 levels. Table 4 shows the mean scores of the age group 18-28 years as 35.74 and of the age group 50-60 years as 28.42. The difference between the mean scores is 7.32. it is clearly said that significant difference existed between the age groups of 18-28 years and 50-60 years on their sexual attitudes. Thus, the null-hypothesis is rejected.

In the present study results revealed that people from 18-28 years of age had a liberal and favorable sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex and people from 50-60 years of age had a rigid and unfavorable sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex. There were several causes which had an impact on these results.

Let’s see some of the causes as follows:

•          Internet

•          Interest in sexuality and sexual spurt during

•          Sex education

PSS with Reference to Gender (Male & Female)

The results of ANOVA on sexual attitude score Table 3 are consulted and it is found that F-ratio for gender is 16.36, which is significant at 0.01 levels. Table 4 shows the mean scores of males as 36.16 and of females as 28. The difference between the mean scores is 8.16. It is clearly said that significant difference existed between males and females on their sexual attitudes. Thus, the null-hypothesis is rejected.

In the present study results revealed that males had a liberal and favorable sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex and females had a rigid and unfavorable sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex. There were several causes which had an impact on these results.

Let’s see some of the causes as follows:

•          Concept of Virginity

•          Sociocultural Factors such as marriage

•          Religious beliefs

•          Fear of pregnancy

PSS with Reference to Interaction of Age and Gender

The present research decided to go for identifying such interactive effect between the age and gender on the total score of sexual attitudes in the subjects.

There are four interaction effect were found, these are A1B1, A1B2, A2B1 and A2B2. The result of ANOVA on sexual attitude is consulted and it is found that F-ratio for sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex with reference to interaction of age and gender is 25.07 which is significant on 0.01 levels. According to Table 3, there are significant mean differences in all the four interactions given above.

In the first interaction A1B1 and A1B2, it consists of males and females in the age groups of 18-28 years of age. Table 5 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 18-28 years of age group is 37.44 and the mean score of females in the age group of 18-28 years of age group is 34.04. The mean difference here is 3.4 which is not so significant.

In the second interaction A2B1 and A2B2, it consists of males and females in the age groups of 50-60 years of age. Table 5 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 34.88 and the mean score of females in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 21.96. The mean difference here is 12.92 which is clearly significant. This shows that in the age group of 50-60 years of age there is significant difference in the sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex with reference to gender.

In the third interaction A1B1 and A2B1, it consists of males in the age groups of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age. Table 5 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 18-28 years of age is 37.44 and the mean score of males in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 34.88. The mean difference here is 2.56 which is not significant. This shows that males in the age group of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age have no significant difference in the sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex with reference to age.

In the fourth interaction A1B2 and A2B2, it consists of females in the age groups of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age. Table 5 shows that the mean score of females in the age group of 18-28 years of age is 34.04 and the mean score of females in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 21.96. The mean difference here is 12.08 which are clearly significant. This shows that females in the age group of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age have significant difference in the sexual attitude towards pre-marital sex with reference to age.

Attitude Towards Polygamy (Tables 6-8)

PS with Reference to Age (18-28 & 50-60 Years)

The results of ANOVA on sexual attitude score (Table 6) are consulted and it is found that F-ratio for age groups is 7.45, which is significant at 0.01 levels. This means sexual attitude in people from 18-28 years of age differs significantly from sexual attitude in people from 50-60 years of age. Table 7 shows the mean scores of the age group 18-28 years as 22.8 and of the age group 50-60 years as 17.98. The difference between the mean scores is 4.82. It is clearly said that significant difference existed between the age groups of 18-28 years and 50-60 years on their sexual attitudes. Thus, the null-hypothesis is rejected.

In the present study results revealed that people from 18-28 years of age had a liberal and favorable sexual attitude towards polygamy and people from 50-60 years of age had a rigid and unfavorable sexual attitude towards polygamy. There were several causes which had an impact on these results.

Let’s see some of the causes as follows:

•          Media exposure such as social media and internet

•          Family environment and relationship between parents

•          Religious beliefs

PS with Reference to Gender (Male & Female)

The results of ANOVA on sexual attitude score Table 6 are consulted and it is found that F-ratio for gender is 9.84, which is significant at 0.01 levels. Table 7 shows the mean scores of males as 23.16 and of females as 17.62. The difference between the mean scores is 5.54. It is clearly said that significant difference existed between males and females on their sexual attitudes. Thus, the null-hypothesis is rejected.

In the present study results revealed that males had a liberal and favorable sexual attitude towards polygamy and females had a rigid and unfavorable sexual attitude towards polygamy.

This can be due to several reasons; some of them are as follows:

•          The societal influence

•          Fear of pregnancy

•          Stigma around virginity for boys

 

PS with Reference to Interaction of Age and Gender

The present research decided to go for identifying such interactive effect between the age and gender on the total score of sexual attitudes in the subjects.

There are four interaction effect were found, these are A1B1, A1B2, A2B1 and A2B2. The result of ANOVA on sexual attitude is consulted and it is found that F-ratio for sexual attitude towards polygamy with reference to interaction of age and gender is 22.08 which are significant on 0.01 levels. According to Table 6, there are significant mean differences in all the four interactions given above.

In the first interaction A1B1 and A1B2, it consists of males and females in the age groups of 18-28 years of age. Table 8 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 18-28 years of age group is 23.64 and the mean score of females in the age group of 18-28 years of age group is 21.96. The mean difference here is 1.68 which is not so significant.

In the second interaction A2B1 and A2B2, it consists of males and females in the age groups of 50-60 years of age. Table 8 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 22.68 and the mean score of females in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 13.28. The mean difference here is 9.4 which are clearly significant. This shows that in the age group of 50-60 years of age there is significant difference in the sexual attitude towards polygamy with reference to gender.

In the third interaction A1B1 and A2B1, it consists of males in the age groups of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age. Table 8 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 18-28 years of age is 23.64 and the mean score of males in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 22.68. The mean difference here is 0.96 which is not significant. This shows that males in the age group of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age have no significant difference in the sexual attitude towards polygamy with reference to age.

In the fourth interaction A1B2 and A2B2, it consists of females in the age groups of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age. Table 8 shows that the mean score of females in the age group of 18-28 years of age is 21.96 and the mean score of females in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 13.28. The mean difference here is 8.68 which are clearly significant. This shows that females in the age group of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age have significant difference in the sexual attitude towards polygamy with reference to age.

Attitude towards Pornography (Tables 9-11)

PGS with Reference to Age (18-28 & 50-60 Years)

The results of ANOVA on sexual attitude score Table 9 are consulted and it is found that F-ratio for age groups is 4.65, which is significant at 0.05 levels. Table 10 shows the mean scores of the age group 18-28 years as 34.38 and of the age group 50-60 years as 28.06. The difference between the mean scores is 6.32. It is clearly said that significant difference existed between the age groups of 18-28 years and 50-60 years on their sexual attitudes. Thus, the null-hypothesis is rejected.

In the present study results revealed that people from 18-28 years of age had a liberal and favourable sexual attitude towards pornography and people from 50-60 years of age had a rigid and unfavourable sexual attitude towards pornography. There were several causes which had an impact on these results.

Let’s see some of the causes as follows:

•          Internet explosion

•          Smartphone technology

•          Increasing prevalence of nuclear family

•          Emotionally unavailable parents

PGS with Reference to Gender (Male & Female)

The results of ANOVA on sexual attitude score Table 9 are consulted and it is found that F-ratio for gender is 15.78, which is significant at 0.01 levels. Table 10 shows the mean scores of males as 37.04 and of females as 25.4. The difference between the mean scores is 11.64. It is clearly said that significant difference existed between males and females on their sexual attitudes. Thus, the null-hypothesis is rejected.

In the present study results revealed that males had a liberal and favourable sexual attitude towards pornography and females had a rigid and unfavourable sexual attitude towards pornography.

There were several causes which had an impact on these results.

•          Males tend to have higher curiosity than females

•          Males also tend to have a higher testosterone levels than females

•          Higher sexual drive in males

•          Females do not have early exposure to porn

PGS with Reference to Interaction of Age and Gender

The present research decided to go for identifying such interactive effect between the age and gender on the total score of sexual attitudes in the subjects.

There are four interaction effect were found, these are A1B1, A1B2, A2B1 and A2B2. The result of ANOVA on sexual attitude is consulted and it is found that F-ratio for sexual attitude towards pornography with reference to interaction of age and gender is 20.62 which are significant on 0.01 levels. According to Table 9, there are significant mean differences in all the four interactions given above.

In the first interaction A1B1 and A1B2, it consists of males and females in the age groups of 18-28 years of age. Table 10 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 18-28 years of age group is 39.56 and the mean score of females in the age group of 18-28 years of age group is 29.2. The mean difference here is 10.36 which are clearly significant.

In the second interaction A2B1 and A2B2, it consists of males and females in the age groups of 50-60 years of age. Table 9 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 34.52 and the mean score of females in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 21.6. The mean difference here is 12.92 which are clearly significant. This shows that in the age group of 50-60 years of age there is significant difference in the sexual attitude towards pornography with reference to gender.

In the third interaction A1B1 and A2B1, it consists of males in the age groups of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age. Table 10 shows that the mean score of males in the age group of 18-28 years of age is 39.56 and the mean score of males in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 34.52. The mean difference here is 5.04 which are significant. This shows that males in the age group of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age have significant difference in the sexual attitude towards pornography with reference to age.

In the fourth interaction A1B2 and A2B2, it consists of females in the age groups of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age. Table 10 shows that the mean score of females in the age group of 18-28 years of age is 29.2 and the mean score of females in the age group of 50-60 years of age group is 21.6. The mean difference here is 7.6 which are clearly significant. This shows that females in the age group of 18-28 years of age and 50-60 years of age have significant difference in the sexual attitude towards pornography with reference to age.

ADVANTAGES

Following are the advantages of the present study:

1.       Since the study is based on age this paper will help youngsters to better understand themselves.

2.       It can also help parents to answers their teenager’s questions scientifically.

3.       The paper can help schools and colleges to design sexual education programs.

LIMITATIONS

 

Following are the limitations of the present study:

1.       Marital status of the individuals was not considered.

2.       Education qualification of the individuals was not considered.

3.       Religious beliefs and occupation were not considered. 

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