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The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. The neutrality of this article is disputed. For further information see talk:Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by romantic or sexual desire for, or sexual attraction toward, members of the opposite gender as distinguished from bisexuality and homosexuality.
In addition to referring to a sexual orientation, the term heterosexuality is also used for sexual behavior (or sexual activities) between people of the opposite sex. Many animal species (those which have sexes and internal fertilization), including humans, reproduce by heterosexual intercourse.
Heterosexualism is a system inwhich sexual attraction is to (or sexual relations with) persons of the opposite sex (ed. though other may not adhere to this system and this does not necessarily exclude them). [1] It is an ideology that specifies that arousal from members of the opposite sex is the valid expression of human sexuality (and has the capablility of functioning adequately). (Compare with Heteronormativity.)
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2 Causes of heterosexuality 3 Prevalence of heterosexuality 4 References 5 See also 6 Books 7 External links |
Hetero- comes from the Greek word heteros, meaning "different" (for other uses, see heterozygote, heterogenous), and the latin for sex (that is, gender). The term "heterosexual" was coined shortly after the word "homosexual." During the 1860s, Karl Maria Kertbeny developed the term heterosexual (as an opposite to homosexual). [2] The word is sometimes shortened to "hetero" or "het," and can refer to both men and women, to sexual behaviour, to sexual orientation, and to sexual identity.
Heterosexuality is colloquially referred to as being straight, although straight can also, though less often, mean anyone whose sexuality could be described as orthodox. For example, people who practice BDSM (bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadism and machochism) sometimes use the term to refer to anyone who does not (though the terms vanilla or vanilla sex are more common).
Although the use of the term "straight" is used often to denote a heterosexual person, this term appears in early or mid 20th century gay slang as in, "to go straight", or stop being gay. One of the first coinage of this reference was in 1941 by the author, G. W. Henry. Henry's book concerned conversations with homosexual males and used this term in connection with the reference to ex-gays. Though not originally intended to refer to heterosexuals, it has evolved over time such that this is its primary usage. [3] Note also that a related meaning of drug addictions in which straight is "not intoxicated" (ie. sober).
A slang term for heterosexual is "breeder", which is mostly used by non-heterosexuals. The term primarily originates from the fact that most heterosexual couples can "breed" or increase the population (while homosexual couples cannot). Although sometimes used playfully, it often has a negative or derogatory connotation. [4]
Sexual orientation and its causes have been the subject of much attention and research. However, research on sexual orientation has not usually focused on the causes of heterosexuality. This is largely because heterosexuality has often been viewed as "normal" and non-heterosexuality as deviant; this view is widespread, but there is a growing trend, due in part to Kinsey's work, towards seeing sexuality as fluid and as covering a range.
There has also been a realization that any attempt at understanding the causes of sexual attraction will be more successful if the mechanisms that underlie sexual attraction, in particular what causes many people to feel sexual attraction primarily towards members of one particular sex, are understood.
According to American Psychiatric Association (APA), there are numerous theories about the origins of a person's sexual orientation, but most researchers agree that "sexual orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factors," and that genetic factors, play a "significant role" in determining a person's sexuality.[5] The APA believes that sexual orientation is not chosen and cannot be changed.
A broad array of opinion holds that much human behavior ultimately is explainable in terms of natural selection. From this point of view, the reason why humanity as a whole exhibits a strong statistical tendency towards heterosexuality is that heterosexual intercourse has the potential for producing offspring and homosexual intercourse does not.
However, the question of whether heterosexuality is favored by natural selection should not be approached simplistically. At the crudest level, we could say that in a hypothetical society in which everyone were 100% homosexual or 100% heterosexual and participated exclusively in their preferred kind of sex, there clearly would be a strong selectional advantage for whatever genes there are that favor heterosexual orientation.
But it is clear that real people and real societies are not like this. Many individuals whose basic preference is homosexual also participate at least occasionally in heterosexual acts. Moreover, in traditional societies individuals are often under heavy social pressure to marry and have children, irrespective of their sexual orientation. Lastly, many gay people actively wish for children, and thus find a way to procreate in spite of their sexual preference. If these factors are strong enough, any selectional advantage attributed to a heterosexual preference is likely to be subtle, if present at all.
Heterosexuality is considered to be the most common sexual orientation. Heterosexuality is also considered to be a social norm in many societies.
Heterosexuality usually implies an exclusive or predominant sexual orientation toward persons of the opposite gender. In some studies, however -- notably Dr. Alfred Kinsey's Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) (ISBN 0253334128) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) (ISBN 025333411X) -- analysis of self-rated sexuality on a continuum from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual along with analysis of behavior and identity seems to show that the majority of people are at least somewhat bisexual, although usually one sex is preferred. According to Kinsey, only a minority of people, approximately 5-10%, can be considered to be fully heterosexual. [6]
Just as sexual activity with a person of the same sex does not necessarily indicate homosexual orientation, sexual activity with a person of the opposite sex, in and of itself, does not necessarily demonstrate heterosexual orientation; it is, however, considered heterosexual behaviour. Not all people who are attracted or have sexual relationships with members of the opposite sex identify themselves as heterosexual: people who do not identify primarily as heterosexual sometimes engage in heterosexual behaviour. These may include people who are not open about their sexual orientation, sex workers, erotic actors, and others. Similarly, some people frequently have sex with members of the same sex yet still see themselves as heterosexual.
Terminology
Causes of heterosexuality
Main article: Causes of sexual orientationPrevalence of heterosexuality
References
See also
Books
External links