12.02.2008  BY EM & LO
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According to new research out of Bradley University in Illinois, Brits are the most sexually liberated of all the big Western industrial nations, trouncing France, the U.S., Spain, Greece, Australia, even Italy. (The U.S. came in 6th, behind Australia but ahead of France.) So much for that stiff upper lip! The researchers asked 14,000 people in 48 countries questions about one-night-stands, total numbers of partners, and attitudes toward casual sex, in order to come up with an index measuring how sexually liberated we all are in both thought and behavior.

David Schmitt, a professor of psychology at Bradley University who oversaw the research, thinks that Britain's high marks may be due in part to the fact that it's increasingly socially acceptable for women as well as men to engage in no-strings sex. "Historically we have repressed women's short-term mating and there are all sorts of double standards out there where men's short-term mating was sort of acceptable but women's wasn't," he says. Other contributing factors, according to Schmitt, are a move toward equal pay and equal rights for women, a move away from young people saving themselves for Jesus/marriage, and, of course, a highly sexed popular culture.

We suppose one person's "sexually liberated" nation is another person's "sexually promiscuous" nation--in which case factors such as feminism and Sex and the City would be "blamed." But we kind of like the idea that every one-night stand or booty call is a blow against sexism. Or rather, every one-night stand or booty call that a woman actually enjoys and feels good about is a blow against sexism. So come on, ladies, let's start working on a New Year's resolution for 2009: Be a good little feminist and demand 100 percent satisfaction from your casual sex!

Of course, there's no longer any need to call it casual sex if that offends your sensibilities. It's now "short-term mating"--which is officially our favorite euphemism of 2008.


1 Comments

Jake Holden said:

I'm sure our high levels of drinking have nothing to do with our attitudes towards casual sex, or 'short term mating' at all...

I think the study is right though, especially among the younger generations people here are very open and accepting of casual sex, whether it's instigated by a man or a woman.

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Em & Lo, more formally known as Emma Taylor and Lorelei Sharkey, are the self-proclaimed Emily Posts of the modern bedroom.

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