Subtitle
Terjemahan
During the past several decades, there have been major changes within most Western countries in people’s attitudes toward sex, and in sexual behaviour.
For people who have lived throughout this period, the changes have seemed quite remarkable.
Until the early twentieth century, people in most Western countries did not have permissive attitudes regarding sexuality.
For the most part, young people were expected to wait until marriage before having sexual intercourse.
Of course, some premarital sex did occur, and prostitution was not rare.
However, sexual behaviour was relatively restricted.
As the twentieth century progressed, there was a gradual trend toward liberalization of attitudes toward sex.
However, this trend was greatly speeded after 1960, when the first birth control pills became available.
These contraceptive pills made it possible for women to engage in sexual intercourse without much risk of an unwanted pregnancy.
As a result, many women were more willing to have premarital sex than was previously the case.
Also during the 1960s, Western countries were reaching high levels of wealth and education.
A new and very large generation of young people was approaching adulthood, and there was a mood of rebellion against traditional norms.
There was an increase in the number of people who engaged in sex before marriage, and also a greater openness about such behaviour.
By the 1970s, sexual attitudes had become quite liberal, and many young people were quite promiscuous in their sexual behaviour.
However, this pattern reversed somewhat during the 1980s.
There was increased concern about sexually transmitted diseases,
including AIDS; moreover, many young women had been uncomfortable with the idea of unrestricted sexual behaviour.
As a result, sexual attitudes became slightly more conservative during the 1980s and 1990s, although they remained much more liberal than in previous decades.
In the early twenty-first century, most young people in Western countries begin having sex during their high school years, although some people wait until they are considerably older.
Some young people are promiscuous, but most engage in monogamous relationships that typically last for a period of several months or a few years.
When one relationship ends, another usually begins soon after.
This pattern usually continues until marriage.
After marriage, most people have sex exclusively with their spouse; however, some people do commit adultery.
Sexuality has changed a great deal in recent decades.
It will be very interesting to see how people’s sexual attitudes and behaviour will change in the future.
Selama beberapa dekade terakhir, telah terjadi perubahan besar di sebagian besar negara Barat dalam sikap masyarakat terhadap seks, dan dalam perilaku seksual. Bagi orang-orang yang telah hidup sepanjang periode ini, perubahan tersebut tampak cukup luar biasa. Hingga awal abad kedua puluh, orang-orang di sebagian besar negara Barat tidak memiliki sikap permisif terhadap seksualitas. Sebagian besar, orang-orang muda diharapkan menunggu hingga menikah sebelum melakukan hubungan seksual. Tentu saja, beberapa seks pranikah memang terjadi, dan prostitusi tidak jarang terjadi. Namun, perilaku seksual relatif terbatas. Seiring berjalannya abad kedua puluh, ada tren bertahap menuju liberalisasi sikap terhadap seks. Namun, tren ini sangat dipercepat setelah tahun 1960, ketika pil KB pertama tersedia. Pil kontrasepsi ini memungkinkan wanita untuk melakukan hubungan seksual tanpa banyak risiko kehamilan yang tidak diinginkan. Akibatnya, banyak wanita lebih bersedia melakukan seks pranikah daripada sebelumnya. Juga selama tahun 1960-an, negara-negara Barat mencapai tingkat kekayaan dan pendidikan yang tinggi. Generasi muda yang baru dan sangat besar mendekati usia dewasa, dan ada suasana pemberontakan terhadap norma-norma tradisional. Ada peningkatan jumlah orang yang melakukan seks sebelum menikah, dan juga keterbukaan yang lebih besar tentang perilaku tersebut. Pada tahun 1970-an, sikap seksual telah menjadi cukup liberal, dan banyak anak muda yang cukup promiscuous dalam perilaku seksual mereka. Namun, pola ini agak berbalik selama tahun 1980-an. Ada peningkatan kekhawatiran tentang penyakit menular seksual, termasuk AIDS; terlebih lagi, banyak wanita muda merasa tidak nyaman dengan gagasan perilaku seksual tanpa batas. Akibatnya, sikap seksual menjadi sedikit lebih konservatif selama tahun 1980-an dan 1990-an, meskipun mereka tetap jauh lebih liberal daripada dekade sebelumnya. Pada awal abad kedua puluh satu, sebagian besar anak muda di negara-negara Barat mulai berhubungan seks selama tahun-tahun sekolah menengah mereka, meskipun beberapa orang menunggu sampai mereka jauh lebih tua. Beberapa anak muda promiscuous, tetapi sebagian besar terlibat dalam hubungan monogami yang biasanya berlangsung selama beberapa bulan atau beberapa tahun. Ketika satu hubungan berakhir, hubungan lain biasanya dimulai segera setelahnya. Pola ini biasanya berlanjut hingga pernikahan. Setelah menikah, sebagian besar orang berhubungan seks secara eksklusif dengan pasangan mereka; namun, beberapa orang melakukan perzinahan. Seksualitas telah banyak berubah dalam beberapa dekade terakhir. Akan sangat menarik untuk melihat bagaimana sikap dan perilaku seksual masyarakat akan berubah di masa depan.