Most Young Adults: Oral Sex Is Not Sex

What is sex? Think you have that answer down pat? Well, if you have a teen or college-aged child, you might want to ask them what they think.

Most young adults agree penile-vaginal intercourse is sex, but less than one in five think that oral-genital contact counts as "having sex," according to a 2007 survey of undergraduate college students.

This attitude toward oral sex represents a dramatic and sudden shift in thinking since 1991, when a similar survey found that nearly twice as many young adults (about 40%) would classify oral-genital contact as sex.

Researchers point to former President Clinton's infamous statement, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," as the pivotal turning point in society's changing views about oral sex. The attitude shift has been dubbed the "Clinton-Lewinsky" effect.

"Like President Clinton, adolescents and young adults often interpret these words with a degree of latitude, depending on whether they want to maintain an image of being sexually experienced or inexperienced," Jason D. Hans and colleagues at the University of Kentucky, Lexington write in their report, "Sex Redefined: The Reclassification of Oral-Genital Contact."

A surge in abstinence-only education and sex education programs that focus primarily on vaginal-penile intercourse also may play a role in the disassociation of oral-genital stimulation from sex, the authors say.
Would You Say You Had Sex If ...?

The survey involved 477 undergraduate students, mostly white heterosexual females, enrolled in a human sexuality class. The majority (98%) of participants was age 24 or younger; the average age was 20.7 years.

The participants answered the following question:

"Would you say you 'had sex' with someone if the most intimate behavior you engaged in was ..."

• Penile-vaginal intercourse?
• Penile-anal intercourse?
• Oral contact with partner's genitals?
• Partner's oral contact with your genitals?
• Partner touches your genitals?
• You touch partner's genitals?
• Oral contact with partner's breasts/nipples?
• You touch partner's breasts/nipples?
• Deep kissing?
• Partner's oral contact with your breasts/nipples?
• Partner touches your breasts/nipples?

Among the survey's notable findings:

• Only 20% of those surveyed said oral contact with their partner's genitals would constitute sex.
• Less than 80% of participants considered penile-anal intercourse as sex.

Males were much more likely than females to say sex included the following behaviors:

• Their partner touched their genitals (13% vs. 7%).
• Orally stimulating a partner's breasts or nipples (9% vs. 4%).
• Touching a partner's breast or nipples (8% vs. 3%).

Why the Concern?

Oral sex has become increasingly acceptable among youths in recent years, perhaps because it's viewed by some as a less risky alternative. But experts say oral-genital contact can lead to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Such diseases include HIV, herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, and the human papillomavirus (HPV), which has been linked to cervical cancer.

The researchers encourage sex educators to increase awareness about oral sex and how it can lead to the spread of STDs.

Complete survey results are available online ahead of print. The article will be published in the June 2010 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
By Kelli Stacy
Reviewed by Laura Martin
?2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[alstong]

This is a very naive attitude. Young people need to know that the AIDS virus can be transmitted orally. Also herpes is still prevalent. I guess some people wlll have to learn the hardway. Sadly it does seem to be an excepted practice amongst many young women who think they are cool to preform oral sex on their boyfriends. You certainly won't have any men complaining !

[aria_]

From my point of view, I think that women should be wary of what they do. Besides if they get infected then, that is just tough luck. Although the males that have the pleasure of it...well obviously enjoy it...then we can't blame them for being born with hormones.

[magnumdr]

That sounds like a stupid kid would say. Sex comes along with a commitment. People today think that sex is to be taken as casual contact. Sex should not happen unless both parties commit to each others or it ends up not being a very special thing between two people. Only people that love each others should have sex or it will not be special to either of them.

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

by pineappletoe April 12, 2010 12:29 PM EDT
For all of you liberals who have in the past defended .........
==========================================================
I would personally like to take you and the rest of your
Morongelical christian brethren and place you all on the
bottom of the sea.

[pineappletoe]

For all of you liberals who have in the past defended and continue to say that President Bill Clinton's personal life is of no business to anybody, please take another look. This is not posted on some Conservative web site, it is WebMD article.

Don't worry about apologizing to us now, those of us who already knew he was wrong have already come to the realization that this type of behavior is somehow acceptable to many people in your party. We also predicted what effect this would have on our children and impressionable youth, and now you are hearing it from a group of researchers, who don't apparently have an agenda against Democrats. Apparently this change in behavior has a new name, The Clinton-Lewinsky effect, Mr. Clinton should be so proud to have something else named after him.

Every one of you has or knows someone with young adults in their household. I have 3 young children and as you might imagine, I am concerned with this news. I guess this is progress, right?

I know some will bring up names of unfaithful Republicans, please continue to do so. I want them outed. Just remember this, President Clinton dragged his lies out for years, perjuring himself to a grand jury investigation, so this was not just being unfaithful, he lied to each and every one of us in the highest court in the land, costing the American public us time and money on a charge he eventually admitted was true.

[THOMASJOHNTAYLOR]

Your Delusional Dude, Those Christians Killing Moslems For ittle Baby Jesus Will Get All Fired Up and Come After You If You Educate Anyone about The Natural, Animal Inside. Touching with Lips Is Discusting when You Mention Oral/Anal and Schrimping, (Oral Toes, and Fingers) as two mutually ********** unwashed and unclean!!!!UGH, DISGUSTING and it tastes like crap.

[THOMASJOHNTAYLOR]

ALOHA FROM HAWAII, surfers have their own cultural fun with encounters that envolve the lips, hips, and fingertips to stimulate passion and get erotic juices flowing. When you say Oral Sex, We are talking about a Natural interaction as old as Life itself. Oral/*****, Oral Vagina, Oral Anal, Oral Breast fingers,and toes are explained in The Kama Sutra and investigated by every avid Eastern Philosophy Student and Students of Tantra. it goes to show you Clinton is an Intelligent Man who know what will create a child and what you can do that is Natural to relieve PRESSURE, and Overcome STRESS. Now all you Religous Zealots can Know the differance. When we have SEX everyone calls God's Name at some time in this Human Expierance when a child is concieved. Education will influence your way of thinking and allow Natural Sexual Communication. Let's Just Get Along.

[liselle3]

Well this is great, it means that all gay people are virgins.

[mym82]

And I wonder where they got that idea???? If clinton thought it wasn't sex then I guess they can see it his way. (Can you people believe you voted for someone not even just stupid but morally lacking) If it says oral "SEX" it definitely is SEX!

[hologram5]

80 Percent of Young Adults Surveyed Believe Oral-Genital Contact Doesn't Count as Sex
-----------------------------------------
Hence the decline of societal morality.

[tmittelstaed]

"...these girls who think that nothing other than vaginal contact 'counts' are seriously deluded. are they even enjoying the sex that they are having or just going through the motions until experiencing 'true love' with their vaginas..."

Speaking from experience, trust me they are enjoying the anal sex they are having or they wouldn't do it.

"...When I'd heard "I did not have sexual relations" - I heard exactly what the President meant - that he had not gone so far as sex..."

But he DID have sexual relations. If Clinton had said "I did not have sex with that woman" THEN his statement would have been consistent with your explanation. But, heavy petting IS sexual relations, even though it's not "sex"

I also disagree with the interpretation that oral sexual relations constitute "sex" although penile-anal sexual relations are definitely "sex" even though as someone pointed out a lot of girls do that so they can claim they are "virgins" That is a technicality since in reality they can only claim their vagina is "virgin" the rest of their body isn't - but on the other hand, it's pretty sick for a man to assume he has some sort of "right" to marry a virgin or to even place any emphasis on it. From a sexuality point of view, women who are virgins are a bad risk anyway, since they have no real idea of what turns them on and how can any man or woman insure sexual compatability before marriage if they don't at least engage in pretty heavy petting?

In an ideal world people who get involved in relationships where they want to have them end in marriage should start by insuring mental compatability first then check out sexual compatability, and they should definitely be engaging in regular sexual relations for at least 6-9 months before getting married - this insures real sexual compatability after the "honeymoon" glow wears off.

But, we do not live in an ideal world. Many people are involved in situations where they want to get involved in relationships that DON'T end in marriage and nowhere is this more common than on a college campus. Many students these days have at least 5 years of school before they can even get a bachelors degree, and quite a lot of that time must be spent studying. It is pretty unrealistic to expect them to just turn off their sex drives for 5 years, particularly when they have already had boyfriend/girlfriend relationships in high school. "Friends-with-benefits" relationships suit these situations just fine.