Sex

This Week in Sex: Chicago Parents Worried About Sex Ed, New Research on First-Date Sex

This week, a presentation in Chicago had parents worried about what their kids might learn in sex ed class, and research shows that women with more male friends have more sex with their committed partners than their peers.

This week, a presentation in Chicago had parents worried about what their kids might learn in sex ed class, and research shows that women with more male friends have more sex with their committed partners than their peers. Talk sex via Shutterstock

This Week in Sex is a weekly summary of news and research related to sexual behavior, sexuality education, contraception, STIs, and more.

Sex Ed Presentation Worries Chicago Parents

The contents of a meeting last week for parents of fifth- and sixth-grade students at Andrew Jackson Language Academy made headlines when a slide presentation suggested that the students would learn more than might be required about female condoms and lube. One slide, entitled “Feel-Good Reasons to Use FCs,” noted that female condoms could prolong sex and help both partners “feel the heat.” It also explained that female condoms could be used for safe anal sex as well.

Though parents at the elite charter school support sex education, some told local media that they thought this went too far. Rachel Giglotti told a Chicago NBC station, “It definitely gets to an inappropriate level, things I wouldn’t even discuss in my own personal life. Sex with a condom, sex without a condom, sex with lube—things that no sixth grader should ever be exposed to.” The slides also detailed other contraceptive methods and provided information about sex toys.

The school is part of the Chicago Public School system, which in 2013 adopted a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum starting in kindergarten. The meeting was held to explain what students would be learning. But, it turns out this presentation was never intended for students or their parents. District spokesperson Bill McCaffrey said in a statement, “The objectionable material presented at Andrew Jackson Language Academy this week is not and never was part of the student sexual education curriculum. It was mistakenly downloaded and included in the parent presentation, and we agree with parents it is not appropriate for elementary school students.”

Women With More Male Friends Have More Sex—But Why?

New research shows that women with more male friends have more sex, but that’s not because they’re sleeping with their buddies.

The study, published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, finds that heterosexual women with more male friends have more sex with their committed partners than those in monogamous relationships who have fewer male friends. The researchers suggest that this has to do with the evolutionary concept of sperm competition. A man who thinks he has competition for his partner’s affection will try all that much harder to inseminate her. Though jealousy plays a role, the researchers believe it stems from men’s subconscious drive to produce the most offspring.

They tested this theory by recruiting 393 men in committed, heterosexual relationships. Researchers asked the men how many times they’d had sex with their partner in the past week. They then asked each man to rate his partner’s physical and sexual attractiveness and list how many male friends and co-workers she had. The researchers found that those women who had more interactions with other men had more sex.

The researchers attributed this finding to sperm competition and said it was exactly what they had expected. Todd K. Shackelford, chair of the psychology department at Oakland University and a co-author of the study, told the Huffington Post:

The reason we specifically predicted this is because there’s a huge amount of nonhuman literature showing that male animals, for example mice or rats, become very interested in having sex with their partner when they see their partner interacting with other males. They don’t even have to see them having sex with other males. It’s just the presence.

Of course, Shackelford admits that in the case of complicated humans, there could be other things going on as well. For example a man who is worried that his partner might leave him because she has other options might initiate sex with her more often in an attempt to keep her satisfied. Moreover, this study did not ask which partner initiated the sex, and if the female partner was the one to get it going, it can’t be attributed to sperm competition.

Sex on the First Date: Not That Common

A new survey by the website DatingAdvice.com finds that despite all of our talk of hook-up cultures and the end of courting rituals, the majority of Americans have never had sex on the first date.

According the survey of 1,080 people—which, to be clear, is not a peer-reviewed study, and may not be nationally representative—two in three Americans have not gone all the way on the first night. That’s right, 54 percent of men and 77 percent of women say they’ve never had first-date sex. In the survey, 67 percent of heterosexual individuals said they have never had first-date sex, compared to 39 percent of those respondents who identify as homosexual.

Though we most associate hook-up cultures with young people of college age, it’s interesting to note that 78 percent of people between the age of 18 and 24 had said they’d never had first-date sex, which is pretty similar to those in the 65-and-over age group (75 percent). All other age groups hovered around the 60 percent mark, which means that whatever their age, most people may be waiting at least for a second run at dinner and a movie.