Traditional Ideology as an Inhibitor of Sexual Behavior

Abstract

The political and religious correlates of sexual behavior in a sample of 344 German university students are presented and discussed within a framework of traditional ideology stifling sexual choice and expression. More-intense religious belief was found to be associated with fewer or no sex partners, with diminished likelihood of oral sex experience, with less frequent masturbation (in women), and with less ability to imagine having homosexual relations (among women who had no history of homosexual activity). Left-wing political views were associated with oral sex experience (in men), more sexual partners (in women), the conceivability of having homosexual relations (among both men and women with no history of homosexual activity), having had homosexual experiences (in women), higher frequency of masturbation, and younger age at first intercourse (for women). Intensity of political interest, regardless of direction, was associated with greater reliability of women's orgasm during sex with a partner. A large increase was noted in sexual activity compared with findings of a 1968 survey of the students at the same university. Frequency of masturbation was positively associated with all measures of sex with a partner for women but not for men.