The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States (Hardcover)

~ Edward O. Laumann (Author), John H. Gagnon (Author), Robert T. Michael (Author), Stuart Michaels (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Based on the National Health and Social Life Survey, a 1992 nationwide survey of 3432 American men and women between the ages of 18 and 59, this is one of two books reporting on the findings. This book is intended for professional social scientists, counselors, and health professionals, while Robert T. Michael and others' Sex in America, just published by Little, Brown, anticipates a more general audience. Beginning with the theoretical foundations, rationale for, and design of the methodology, the authors put the work in historical context as they assert its accuracy and generalizations, urging caution about interpretation and implications of their sometimes surprising findings. Though the study was designed largely to "fill significant gaps in our knowledge of sexual behavior associated with the acquisition of the AIDS virus," this book achieves a refreshingly readable examination of masturbation, sexually transmitted infections, cohabitation and marriage, fertility, and homosexuality. The text throughout is buttressed by graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, appendixes, bibliographic references, and author and subject indexes (not seen). For academic collections.
James E. Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

The Social Organization of Sexuality, a report on the United States' most comprehensive representative survey of sexual behavior in the general population to date, finally offers basic information about the transmission of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, child abuse, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and much more. Conducted by a research team centered at the University of Chicago, the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) was designed to determine not only incidence and prevalence of sexual practices, but also the social and psychological contexts in which they occur.

Based on personal interviews with a probability sample of 3,432 American women and men between the ages of 18 and 59, this study explores the extent to which sexual conduct and general attitudes toward sexuality are influenced by gender, age, marital status, and other demographic characteristics. Some of the questions the researchers address include: How do social factors such as education, race, and religion affect sexual conduct? How have American sexual patterns been changing? How do women's and men's sexual lives and attitudes differ? How is sexual behavior organized across the life course?

Other topics covered by the survey include early sexual experiences, masturbation, contraception and fertility, sexual abuse, coercion, sexual health, satisfaction, and sexual dysfunction. A wide variety of sexual practices and preferences are also explored in the questionnaire, including specific questions on homosexual desire, identity, and behavior, the appeal of various sexual practices, and their frequency and incorporation into sexual lives.

With hundreds of charts, and graphs, and tables, and a copy of the complete survey questionnaire, this work will be an indispensable reference for all scientists, analysts, and researchers searching for reliable information on the sexual practices of American adults.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 750 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (October 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226469573
• ISBN-13: 978-0226469577
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,138,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Comprehensive Book on Sexuality, February 13, 2000

By	S. M Marson (Lumberton, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We have adopted this title as a textbook for our Social Aspect of Human Sexuality course. In addition to our sexuality course, I use data from The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States for my courses in Social Statistics and Research Methods. I note the importance of employing random sampling by contrasting this data to data collected found in Shere Hite's The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality (#06963).

The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States is clearly a scholarly book. The authors also published a volume for the general public entitled: Sex in America: A Definitive Survey. This title includes nearly the same information. However, it is much more readable, but doesn't included all the scholarly details.

At this point in time, it is not likely that readers can find a more comprehensive study on human sexuality.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dig for the Truth, December 22, 2007

By	Jack Little - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States (Paperback)

I am not a sexual scientist nor a professional survey taker, but I am very comfortable with statistics, data gathering and analysis as used in statistical process and machinery control. I purchased S. O. S. for use as an unbiased source of statistics on male/female couples sexual practices, preferences and fantasies. Unfortunately this survey and report are not that unbiased source.
Throughout this book the authors make reference to the political opposition to this survey. Those politicians and others opposed fear that if the survey shows that a certain sexual act is common (and it's something they personally feel is wrong) then that will encourage others to do it. I have come to realize the extent and far reaching effects of this pressure.
My first hint of something wrong was the use of entirely bogus figures to calculate the preference match of receiving and giving oral sex (page 166). Their calculations showed only 9% of couples where both partners liked giving and receiving oral sex. The calculation using the real statistics (taken from their own tables on page 162) shows a 60% agreement mutually enjoying oral sex.
When I found more things like this, missing data, unreported group statistics, unlabeled graphs not described in text, and some unbelievable statistics, I finally went to the questionnaire in the appendix. WOW, I could not believe my eyes. They were not guaranteeing confidentiality. In fact, they were taking personal information to positively identify not only the test taker, but the NAMES of all sexual partners, ALL. I don't know about you, but that would inhibit my responses. Privacy, confidentiality and security are easily accomplished and absolutely necessary for a survey of this kind of sensitive subject.
While cruising the questionnaire I realized that much of the missing data had actually been asked, just not reported in the tables and text of the book. Since I was having to check and double check any statistic that I wanted to use, I came across another very dishonest method to deceive. If you want to prove something that really isn't true, you can make your false statement then use something different as proof passing it off as the same thing. Example: page 135 - Table stating only 2% of women use a vibrator. The question asked to prove this was - "Have you purchased a vibrator in the last 12 months?" Aunt Girdie who purchased her Hitachi Super-O vibrator 20 some years ago and used it every day would not be counted. Hmmmm!
The discrepancies I found involved oral sex, masturbation, anal sex, and sex under 18 years of age. There could be problems in the other stuff, but I got tired of looking.
Conclusion: There were some good people involved in this survey (the data to prove most of these faults were buried but still in the data). The censorship of the Adolf Hitlers of our country showed throughout. The weak willed university management and project directors sold their souls (probably to obtain further monies in future contracts). I expected so much more. This survey infuriates me since it could (and should) be so much more.
If you believe that more than half of the men and three fourths of the women in the U. S. do not like RECEIVING oral sex, then this book is for you (page 166).

4.0 out of 5 stars The First Word On American Sexuality, April 30, 2008

By	J. Jantzer "tydigame" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States (Paperback)

This book is a must-have for any social scientist interested in sexual behavior in the U.S. The writing is clear, and until enough research is published using some of the other more recent samples (i.e. the Add Health), there are literally no other researchers with data of this quality.

However, there are some problems. With a sample of only 4,000 or so, there are many smaller groups which are featured in chapters of their own, but for which there were only a few hundred participants. Specifically, the chapter about homosexuality must be taken with a grain of salt. Additionally, the analytical techniques used were often rather simple, rarely more complex than a cross-tab, and more advanced approaches may have been suitable in some circumstances.

Despite these shortcomings, this is a remarkably useful text, and extremely easy to read for research of its level of complexity.