The personification of sexuality in the American media helps to form the perception that all Americans are obsessed with sex (Baumeister & Tice 2007). Sex is an important act from a physiological and psychological perspective. For some, talking about sex and sexual conquests can be an awkward conversation. Others readily seek to boast about their experiences, and even over-estimate the number of sexual partners they have had. Overall, I believe that society appears to have a double-standard. Men can easily have sex with multiple women and these practices are glorified. Yet women are not subject to similar norms. I believe the lack of definition of what constitutes sex, further contributes to male and female differentiations. For some, there are three types of sex; while others only count two types of sex as relevant in tallying their conquests.
Bisexuality is another explanation as to why men often report having a higher number of sexual conquests than women (Baumeister & Tice 2007). From one perspective, this explanation makes sense. However, I personally find it hard to believe, that this many men would engage in sexual contact with other men. Although there is a good size bisexual population, from my own experiences, I have found that some men are not open to the idea of being with another man. The American culture breeds openness towards sexuality. However, bisexuality and homosexuality are often less promoted sexually. As a society, I believe that we have yet to fully accept bisexuality and homosexuality enough, in order to account for these high numbers of sexual conquests claimed by men.
Infidelity is another important element of relationships that is characterized by sex (Human Sexuality Reader n.d.). Relationships can be a difficult process as people constantly grow and transition into new stages in their lives. Many people begin dating as teenagers. Arguably, this may be the easiest time to have a relationship as societal expectations are less. As people grow older, they are expected to manage multiple responsibilities. From this perspective, monogamy often works best with the adult lifestyle. Yet,