Sexual Attitudes

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1

India, with an area of 1.26 million square miles (3.29 million kilometers), is the largest
democratic country in the world. The country has about 16 % of the world’s total
population and 2.4 % of the global land area. India is one third the size of the United
States and occupies most of the Indian subcontinent in south Asia. Next to China,
India is the most populous country in the world, with a 1995 population of 950
million. India’s urban population accounts for 28 % of the country’s total population.
In 1991, one third of the 12.6 million inhabitants of Bombay were homeless, living on
the streets or in squatters’ camps built on putrid landfills. Bombay, India’s most
populous city has 1,00,000 people per square kilometer.

The 1995 age distribution showed that 36.8 % of the populations were under 15 years
of age; the working age group (15 to 64) was 69 %; and the aged population (65 and
over) was about 4 %. The 1995 life expectancy at birth for males was 58 years and for
females 60 years. The birthrate was twenty-eight per 1,000 populations and the death
rate ten per 1,000 populations, giving a natural annual growth rate of 1.8 %. The 1995
infant mortality rate was 76 per 1,000 live births. The sex ratio showed 929 females to
1,000 males. India has one hospital bed per 1,357 persons, and one physician per 2,189
persons. The 1993 literacy level was estimated at about 50 %, with schooling
compulsory to age 14; the literacy rate is significantly lower for females than males.

In India’s male-dominated tradition, and everywhere in Vedic, classical, medieval, and

modern Hinduism, the paradigms in myths, rituals, doctrines, and symbols are
masculine.

Sociologic Status of Males and Females

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While it is mostly the husbands who are breadwinners, the women generally take care
of the household activities, besides bearing and rearing children. However, due to
widespread educational programs and improvement of educational facilities for girls,
women nowadays are accepting jobs outside the home, and thus contributing
financially to the family budget. Also, because of constant efforts in making women
aware of their rights and the importance of their involvement in day-to-day family
matters, the status of women has increased significantly. Due to all these measures,
women nowadays actively participate not only in their family affairs, but also in social
and political activities in the communities.

The occupations that were earlier monopolized by men are gradually being shared by
women. Similarly, various professional courses like engineering, architecture, and
allied disciplines are also studied by women. In spite of these changes initiated for the
benefit of women in India, the people’s attitude to equal status for women has not
changed significantly in actual practice, and in this regard various educational
programs for men are still in great need of changing their outlook. For instance,
although the legal age of marriage for girls is set by the government at 18 years,
people, especially in rural and tribal India, encourage early marriage for girls, mostly
within a short time of their attaining puberty. Similarly, in the educational
development, the dropout rate among females is very high.

SEXUALITY – CONCEPTULIZING SEXUALITY

Source and Character of Religious Values

India is a multiethnic and multilingual society with wide variations in demographic

situations and socioeconomic conditions. People in India practice different religions,
and there are numerous cultural identities. The religious composition of India shows

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that a majority, 82 %, are Hindu. The other religious groups are Muslim, 11.7 %;
Christians, 2.4 %; Sikhs, 1.9 %; and other religious groups, 2 %.

In a nation as religiously and ethnically diverse as India - the nation is commonly

described as “a jumble of possibilities” - the people follow a wide variety of customs,
and have varied beliefs that ultimately mold their lifestyles. In the life of a Hindu male,
for instance, marriage is regarded as necessary, because without a wife he cannot enter
the Grihasthasrama (the life stage of a householder). In addition, without marriage
there can be no offspring, and without a son no release from the chain of reincarnation
in birth-death-rebirth. According to Hindu custom, which still prevails in most
families, marriage must take place within one’s caste or Varna, although marriages
between members of different castes and communities are gaining acceptance. Hindu
marriage, being a religious sacrament, is indissoluble.

The purdah system still prevails in the Muslim northern region of the country, where a
female has to cover her face in front of other males and elders, but this custom is also
slowly fading out. The Muslim male, who is allowed to have four wives, subject to
specified conditions, is also realizing the wisdom in small families and monogamy
(more so the educated, urban Muslim male). Marriage is solemnized by signing a legal
document and can be dissolved. Divorce is almost exclusively the husband’s privilege,
although a divorcing husband has to pay the “Dower,” a settlement made to the wife
out of her husband’s property to compensate her in the event of death and divorce.

Indian Christians are also influenced by the social practices of the region, but they tend
to follow the pattern of a family as an independent unit, in which their lifestyles and
interactions revolve around the community and the local church. They have more
freedom in their general outlook and easily adapt to local conditions and trends.

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The tribal people of India have varied religious and social practices, often with a more
natural approach to sexuality and age-old practices of premarital sex and premarital
experimental cohabitation.

Although there is a decreasing acceptance of orthodox beliefs and religious practices

among India’s younger generation, each of India’s religious traditions maintains its
own forms of observations of various practices starting with birth and regulating life
through marriage to the death ceremonies. The lifestyles of the people, including their
sexual behavior, are generally governed by these prescribed practices.

Source and Character of Ethnic Values

India’s dominant ethnic element is the Indo-Aryan peoples with 72 % of the

population. The Aryans invaded India from the northwest between 2400 and 1500
B.C.E. and intermingled with already well-civilized native people. The Australoid
Dravidans, including the Tamils, constitute 25 % of the total population and dominate
in southern India. Arab invaders established a Moslem foothold in the western part of
the country in the eighth century, and Turkish Moslems gained control of northern
India by 1200. These Muslim were in part responsible for the decline of the Chandella
culture that dominated in northern India from c. 200 B.C.E. to C.E. 1200. The great
“love temples” of northern India, including Khajuraho, were built in the eleventh
century and in part destroyed by the invading Moslems (Deva 1986). In 1526, Moslem
invaders founded the great Mongul Empire centered in Delhi. This empire lasted, at
least in name, until 1857. Today, 3 % of Indians are of Mongoloid ancestry.

The Portuguese influence in Bombay and the Indian subcontinent dominated trade
with Europe in the 1500s. In 1612, the English influence began to spread with the
founding of the East India Trade Company. In 1687, the English took over Bombay,
setting the stage for their defeat of the French and Islamic armies, and laying the

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foundation for the incorporation of India into the British Empire in 1858. English
Victorian views of sexuality remain a strong influence in urban India.

In 1947, the Indian Independence Act was passed, and a new constitution establishing
India as an independent democratic country adopted in 1949. In the 1970s, a war in the
north between East and West Pakistan ended with Indian intervention and
establishment of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh.

Government Policies and Programs for Sex Education

Present-day children in India are more exposed to new areas of knowledge than their
parents were. As a matter of fact, young people are simply deluged these days with
movies, magazines, and books - all prime sources of sexual information and
stimulation. Young people nowadays want to know more about pros and cons of
marriage, premarital and extramarital sexual relationships, venereal diseases, etc. In a
survey of college students conducted by the All India Educational and Vocational
Guidance Association, it was reported that 54 % of male students and 42 % of female
students stated that they did not have adequate knowledge regarding matters of sex.
Though parents have the primary responsibility of imparting sex education to their
children, it has been found that a majority of young people in India derive their
information about sex and sex behavior largely from companions, street-corner
conversation, movies, and magazines. The government is seriously contemplating
introducing sex education as a part of the curriculum from the secondary school level
onwards. One important reason for giving the school responsibility for sex education is
that many parents feel unable to handle this task themselves. Many have inhibitions
about discussing sex with their children; others admit that they do not have the
technical knowledge to answer all the questions their children ask. In this situation, the
teacher is a major factor in determining the success of any sex-education program.
Serious efforts are under way in specifying the contents and components of sex

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education and the level at which this has to be taught. No information is available on
the provision of sex education in special schools such as those for mentally
handicapped persons.

Informal Sources of Sexual Knowledge

Parents give their young children sex education many years before they can begin to
convey sex information verbally. The mother’s behavior, attitudes, and roles are a
clear model for the growing girl. Similarly, the father provides a role model for a son.
The relationship, warmth, and responsiveness between parents provide for all children
a model for their later marriage. By observing their parents, children see the basic
qualities that make men and women different. Similarly, when the child is in the
company of his friends, he/she learns through them the various facets of their life. The
other important informal sources of sexual information for the child are peer group
influence, teachers, books, movies, magazines, and siblings.

Fifteen million Indians attend the cinema every day. Hindi cinema, perhaps more than
the cinema of many other countries, provides fantasy, the stuff that dreams are made
of. The cinema is the major shaper of an emerging, pan-Indian popular culture. As
such, the mix of fantasy and reality, dreams and hopes, that permeates Hindi cinema is
already a major factor in the remolding of Indian sexual values, expectations, and
attitudes, as well as gender relations, marriage, and the family (Kakar, 1989, 25-41).

Autoerotic Behaviors and Patterns

Masturbation is generally unacceptable among girls. For boys however it is considered

a preparation for mature sex life. Though boys at the younger ages may masturbate
together without shame, at little more mature ages, they all give it up. This seems to be
particularly so in the case of married men. In recent years, the availability of sexually

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explicit books, magazines, and videos has also acted as major contributory factor for
male autoerotic activities.

Interpersonal Heterosexual Behaviors

Children

Indian children are pampered as much as possible, often until age six or seven. Before
puberty, a natural approach to sexuality and nudity prevails, especially in rural areas.
Daughters and sons are carefully prepared for their future domestic roles as mothers
and fathers. Women are considered to be much more skilled than males in love and
sexual pleasures. At puberty, most boys and girls are segregated. In some regions of
India, pubescent girls are not even allowed to enter a house where a single young man
is present.

Sexual views and behavior are somewhat more natural and less inhibited in India’s
rural villages, according to Dr. Promilla Kapur, a research psychologist and sociologist
at New Delhi’s India International Center. Some tribal groups practice totally free sex
among adolescents.

Nowadays, with the advent of various satellite television programs, children are
exposed at their early ages to various programs, including considerable sexually
related material. This exposure often results in conflicting responses for girls raised in
a society that represses or ignores female sexuality. In rural areas, adults sometimes
talk loudly about their sexual experiences in the presence of children, and this provides
opportunities for the young men to think more about sex. In urban areas, especially
cities where housing shortage is very acute, adults in public places like parks and
cinema theaters generally satisfy their sexual feeling through hugging or other
noncoital sexual practices. These acts also provide learning opportunities for the
younger ones. Sexual play, such as looking at another child’s buttocks or genitals,
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genital touching games, sharing a bed with a child of the opposite sex, etc., likewise
provides children with opportunities for sexual exploration; the parents would not
necessarily be aware of these acts of their children.

Adolescents

Adolescents in India today face a number of problems related to changing value

systems and social expectations. The sexual world of adolescents is becoming
increasingly complex. In traditional Indian society, adolescents were initiated into their
sexual roles, more or less, in a clearly defined period and by a series of ceremonies and
rites. As in some other cultures, these included instruction on their sex roles, marriage
customs, sexual morality, and acceptable sexual behavior. But with the influence of
Western culture, the present generation of youth are facing a number of problems that
are ultimately forcing them to violate the traditional norms as laid down by the society.

When Kakar and Chowdhary (1970) examined some aspects of sexual behavior among
young men prior to marriage, they found that a lack of adequate information and
opportunities prompted these young people to turn to literature (often pornographic),
to experimentation with prostitutes, friends, or relatives of the opposite or same sex, to
covert observation of sexual activities of others, and to masturbation. Reddy and his
colleagues, in a 1983 study of young people, found that the sample youth had their
first sexual experience between the ages of 15 and 24 years. Homosexual activities
were also reported in this study: 38 %age of women in the sample reported that their
first sexual activity had been with a partner of the same sex. The Family Planning
Foundation of India undertook a study in 1990 among teenagers (between 14 and 17
years) and found that about one fourth of them expressed their acceptance of
premarital sexual contact, “if the boy and the girl were actually in love.” While a good
number of respondents were aware of at least one contraceptive method, they had very

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little precise knowledge. Men were found to be more liberal in their views than
women.

Mane and Maitra (1992) have rightly inferred that “relatively little is known about the
sexual behavior and attitudes towards different aspects and forms of sexual activity in
India.” With changing conditions in India, the opportunities for risk-taking behavior
among adolescents seem to be increasing. Coping with sex is a growing problem for
young people. Today’s teenagers are faced with an ever-widening gap between the age
at which they are physically ready to have sexual intercourse and the age at which it is
culturally acceptable for them to do so. Youngsters are in fact often sandwiched
between a near-obsessive preoccupation with sex in the media and a veritable wall of
silence from other sources of information on the subject. Sex education, including
family planning and reproductive health management, has to be the cornerstone of any
youth program that is attempted. The social, psychological, and emotional
consequences to early sexual involvement also need to be carefully explained.

Adults

The marital bond involves a social sanction generally in the form of a civil or/and
religious ceremony authorizing two persons of the opposite sex to engage in sexual
relations and assume the consequent and correlated socioeconomic relationships and
responsibilities society maintains for a married couple. Under the kind of social
structure that caste has given rise to in India, there are certain restrictions in the limits
beyond which the parents, in the case of an arranged marriage, and a man and a
woman, in the case of a love marriage, cannot go in choosing a spouse; he/she must
invariably marry outside his or her own gotra. (Gotra is the name of the ancestral head
or father of the family.) A decision to marry is usually marked by an “engagement”
where the elders of both the parties announce their intention to conduct the marriage to
their family and friends.

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Traditionally, premarital sex activity was controlled in India. As the marriages were
mostly arranged by elders, premarital sex was not the accepted practice. Although
premarital sex among the tribal societies of India has been widely reported, there is
very little if any reliable data on this topic in either the rural or urban areas.

A recent study by Savara and Sridhar in 1992 showed that 30 % of the respondents had
experienced premarital sex, while 41 % of unmarried men and 33 % of married men
had their first intercourse before attaining 20 years. In another study, they found that
about one quarter of married women had sex with their husbands before marriage.
Other premarital sexual partners for women were mostly friends, relatives, and work
acquaintances. A majority of the respondents - 43 % - agreed that casual sex is all
right, and it is acceptable to sleep with someone you have no plan to marry. It is clear
that, although premarital sexual relationship is considered generally as immoral in
contemporary India, the majority of the young generation do not find it objectionable.
A gradual increasing openness about sex in Films, video music, television, magazines,
etc., is clearly influencing the young in India to be more adventurous about premarital
sex than their parents and elders were.

Single Adults

Since marriage is strongly endorsed for all adults in India, the number of men and
women remaining unmarried is very negligible. With the rapid increase in urbanization
and industrialization, more and more young people are moving out of the rural areas
into the urban areas, mainly in search of a livelihood. Mostly they move to urban areas
by leaving their families, sometimes including a spouse, in their place of origin,
because of the lack of proper housing facilities and the high cost of living in their new
home. In the absence of their spouses, many married men turn to the brothel houses for
satisfying their sexual urges. In so doing, they face many health problems like STD
and HIV.

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Marriage and Divorce

Despite an increasing modernization and shift to love-based marriages, most marriages

in India are still arranged by parents. Family concerns take precedence over the
interests of young couples, because Indian parents strongly believe that a marriage will
be good only if the bride and groom come from similar backgrounds. The impetus for
arranged marriages is respect for the wisdom of one’s elders. To assure that their
offspring marry within their own community or caste, many Indian parents use the
classified advertisement sections of newspapers to make contact and arrange marriages
for their children. In the villages and rural areas, distinctions in the caste system are
much stronger and sharper than they are in the cities.

Although the tradition of arranged marriages has a practical value in preserving family
traditions and values, it encounters some opposition as young Indian men and women
learn of the Western tradition of romance and love. Urban middle-class Indians are
most affected. Most Indian men and women attending college outside India are careful
not to compromise their prospects back home by letting their family or parents know
they have dated a foreigner.

While marriage is a sacred arrangement made in the presence of elders, divorce is

legally possible. The incidence of divorce was very negligible in the past, mainly
because of the low status of women in the society and the very low level of
educational background of females, which left divorced women incapable of
supporting themselves. Current trends show that the divorce rate is increasing in the
recent past, especially in urban areas. This clearly indicates that women are becoming
more aware of their rights, and more assertive in maintaining their individual identity
in their employment and personal earnings without being submissive to men.

The joint or extended Hindu family, which dominated in the past, is gradually
disintegrating. In the traditional Hindu extended family, the eldest male governed the
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entire family; the daily life of its members revolved round this huge family. The
family head, in consultation with other elder males, arranged marriages in which the
youngsters had little say. The females lived behind closed doors - “within the four
walls” environs. Festive occasions were the only times when they had the opportunity
to interact with others in the neighborhood or relatives. With the disintegration of this
family unit into individual families, the problems of insecurity and social influences of
the neighborhood have become common. This is indeed leading to the assertion of
individual freedom in the choice of marital partners and lifestyles.

Sexuality and the Physically Disabled and Elderly

There are no organized attempts made so far to assess Indian attitudes about the
sexuality of physically and mentally handicapped persons and elderly. Very little
attention has been paid so far in sexuality training for the teachers and health personnel
who work with these disadvantaged groups. Furthermore, there is no effort made by
the institutions that serve these people to deal with the sexual needs of their residents.

Incidence of Oral and Anal Sex

Vaginal intercourse is the norm for marital sexual activity. The incidence of fellatio
and cunnilingus is not known in Indian context. However oral sex appears to be
relatively uncommon.

Homosexual and Am bisexual Behaviors

Heterosexual acts, the only socially acceptable sexual expression, are based primarily
on the much wider contact and more common relationships between males and
females in society. The family is promoted as the early valid social unit. Although
homosexuals existed even in ancient India, they never attained social approval in any
section of the Indian population. There was a reference to such practices in the
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Kamasutra, written by Vatsyayana more than 1,500 years ago and long admired as an
extraordinary analytic treatise on sex and love.

Very little is known about the current practice of male or female homosexuality in
India. Homosexuality is slowly gaining acceptance, in part due to the efforts of one or
two organized groups in metro cities that are affiliated with a couple of activist
homosexual groups connected to international bodies of gays. A regular voice of one
organization, and of its homosexual members, is published in Bombay, titled Bombay
Dost, or “Bombay Friend.”

Savara and Shridhar (1992) reported that 12 % of unmarried men and 8 % of married
men reported that their first sexual experience was with another man and most of them
had it before they were 20 years of age. About two fifths of them had a homosexual
experience with one or two persons, while over a fifth had such experiences with more
than ten persons. In their homosexual acts, only 21 % of them had used condoms.
Ahmed (1992), in his study of truck drivers, found that 15 % of them admitted
previous homosexual experience. Parasuraman et al. (1992), from a study in Madras,
found that 3 % of the homosexuals earned their livings as dancers and/or sex workers.
It is further reported in this study that most of the men were between the ages of 21
and 30, and took both active and passive roles in unprotected anal and oral intercourse.

Significant Unconventional Sexual Behaviors

A. Coercive Sex

Sexual abuse

Due to pressures of social change and the loss of the holding power of traditional
taboos, child sexual abuse seems to be increasing in India. However, there is a
growing awareness about child sexual abuse in the society. Girls who are near to
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attaining their puberty, or have just attained it, are often objects of older men’s
attention.

Although it is socially disapproved, some instances have been reported where parents,
because of their poverty, accept a bride price for the marriage of a very young
daughter to an older man seeking a young girl as a second wife. In spite of rigorous
efforts by the government in educating the people, it is still an accepted practice,
especially in rural areas, to arrange marriages of young girls.

Incest

Repressed sexuality has also been a factor in what in the West might be considered
widespread incest. In India’s extended family system, sex between brothers-in-law and
sisters-in-law, for example, or between cousins, or uncles and nieces, or aunts and
nephews is common, although hard statistics are not available. See Section 2C for the
tradition of niyoga, describing the relationship between a wife and the younger brother
of her husband.

Sexual Harassment

Poverty forces many rural girls around 10 years of age to be employed as housemaids
in rich and middle-class homes. In addition to the economic exploitation, some of
these girls also face sexual harassment by males in these households. Since these girls
are in no position to resist sexual advances, most sexual harassment acts are not
reported or complained about to the police. College girls and young working girls face
the problems of harassment. The problem of “Eve-teasing” - old-fashioned pinching,
fondling, and other sexual harassment of women on the street - has become so serious
in recent years that the government has had to promulgate a law prohibiting this
behavior.

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One small but significant incident that may signal a change in the pervasive acceptance
of sexual harassment in Indian culture occurred in mid-1996, when a 61-year-old
Punjab state official was convicted of “outraging the modesty” of a woman in public
by slapping the backside of another senior Punjab official at a public event in 1988.
After eight years of delays and alleged government cover-ups for the defendant, the
court unexpectedly convicted the defendant, the former general of police for the
Punjab district and a national hero for his suppression of the Sikh rebellion. While the
sentence appeared insignificant, a mere three months in jail and a $20 fine, the court
did stipulate that the defendant be subjected to what is known in India as “rigorous
imprisonment,” a harsh regimen generally reserved for serious criminals and hardly
befitting a national hero. While recognizing this verdict as a small measure of justice,
women’s groups in India hailed it as a landmark because of the prominence of those
involved, and the fact that appeals will keep this harassment case in the public view for
some years to come.

Rape

Sexual exploitation of girls is another problem faced by females in India. Data on the
crime of rape shows that a total of 4,919 rape cases were registered in the country in
1981, with an increase of 12.8 % from 1980.

Few cases of rape are actually reported to the police because of the negative
consequences to the future life of rape victims. Young Indian women who are known
to be victims of rape are viewed as outcasts and their families disgraced, even though
they were not in any way responsible for the attack. The spread of Western culture, the
disruption of urbanization, exposure to films with lots of sex scenes, and pornographic
materials are all contributory factors in the increasing the number of rape cases in
India.

Prostitution
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Prostitution, the indulgence in promiscuous sexual relations for money or other favors,
is an age-old institution in India. Purchasing young girls and dedicating them to
temples, the Devadasi system, was an established custom in India by 300 C.E. These
girls often served as objects of sexual pleasure for temple priests and pilgrims. The
current knowledge about female sex workers is mostly gained from studies done in the
red-light districts of metropolitan cities. Generally, prostitutes tend to come from the
less-educated class of women, including single abandoned girls, and economically
distressed women. Some of the studies on prostitutes in India revealed that a majority
of them had STDs, tuberculosis, chronic infections, anemia, scabies, and parasite
infestation. Most of them were treated by the local medical practitioners who are
quacks in their profession. Most of these women were either forced by gang members
and others to take up this profession or were betrayed with false promises of a job.
Both the central government and the state governments have enacted statutes to repress
and abolish prostitution. The central act, The Suppression of Immoral Traffic in
Women and Girls Act (SITA), 1956, has been amended as The Immoral Traffic
(Prevention) Act (ITPA), 1956. However, these statutes have made little impact on the
increasing traffic in persons and sexual exploitation and abuse (Pawar 1991).

According to investigative reporter Robert I. Friedman (1996), there are more than
100,000 female commercial sex workers in Bombay, which he describes as “Asia’s
largest sex bazaar.” In all of India, there are as many as 10 million commercial sex
workers. According to human rights groups, about 90 % of the Bombay prostitutes are
indentured servants, with close to half trafficked from Nepal. One in five of Bombay’s
sex workers are under age 18 - the government is aware of child prostitution but
generally ignores the problem. Child sex workers as young as 9 are sold at auctions
where wealthy Arabs from the Persian Gulf compete with wealthy Indian males who
believe that having sexual intercourse with a virgin cures syphilis and gonorrhea. A
major motivation in the bidding for and slavery of child virgins is the fear of AIDS. In
this context, child virgins often bring up to 60,000 rupees, the equivalent of $2,000.
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The commercial sex district of Bombay is actually two interconnected neighborhoods

in the south central part of the city, approximately three square kilometers sandwiched
between immense Muslim and Hindu slums. It is also the home of the largest
organized crime family in Asia. This red-light district is well served by two major
railway stations just a half kilometer away, and twenty-five bus routes. The district is
laid out with twenty-four lanes of wooden frame brothels with gilded balconies
interspersed with car repair shops, small restaurants, liquor stories, 200 bars, numerous
flophouses, massive tenements, three police stations, and a municipal school from
which only 5 % of the students graduate.

Two thousand hijras work on Eunuch Lane. Dressed in short black leather skirts or
saris, they are virtually indistinguishable from the female prostitutes, except many are
extremely beautiful. Shilpa, a 30-year-old social worker with five years experience
working in the red-light district, provides a fair description of this aspect of Bombay’s
sex workers:

The eunuchs, or hijras, have deep roots in Hinduism. As young boys they were
abandoned or sold by their families to a sex cult; the boys are taken into the jungle,
where a priest cuts off their genitals in a ceremony called nirvana. The priest then folds
back a strip of flesh to create an artificial vagina. Eunuchs are generally more ready to
perform high-risk sex than female prostitutes, and some Indian men believe they can’t
contract HIV from them (Quoted by Friedman 1996:14).

Female sex workers are often harassed by the police, although their madams pay the
police weekly bribes to look the other way. To protect themselves, each girl services
several police for free.

Though on average the girls see six customers a day, who pay between $1.10 and $2
per sex act, the madam gets the money up front. By the time the madam deducts for
food, electricity, and rent, as well as payment - with interest - on her purchase price,
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there is almost nothing left. So to pay for movies, clothes, makeup, and extra food to
supplement a bland diet of rice and dal, the girls have to borrow from moneylenders at
an interest rate of up to 500 %. They are perpetually in hock (Friedman 1996:16).

Bombay’s flesh trade is an efficient business, controlled by four separate, harmonious

crime groups. One group controls police payoffs, a second controls moneylending, and
the third, which maintains the district’s internal law and order. The fourth group, the
most powerful, manages the procurement of women in a vast network that stretches
from South India to the Himalayas (Friedman 1996:18).

Pornography

All forms of sexually oriented publications are illegal in India. The government-
appointed Central Board has the power to make cuts or ban the indecent or obscene
scenes in films. Although pornographic books, magazines, and videos are illegal, their
display and sales are casually noticed in urban areas, especially in the major cities.

Teenage Pregnancies

Sexual activity at an early age but within marriage is common in India. The most
obvious health risk of teenage sex among the young is pregnancy for girls who are not
yet physically matured. Further, if the pregnancy is unwanted or illegitimate, the
health hazards are likely to be compounded by the social, psychological, and economic
consequences. In their study of infant and childhood mortality, K. Mahadevan et al.
(1985) found that the mean age of women at first conception was only 16 years;
further, they found that infant mortality was very high for the first, followed by the
second birth order, and then tapered down subsequently. The findings reveal that the
high incidence of infant mortality among the first two birth orders may be mainly due
to teenage pregnancy and childbirth. In traditional societies where mothers marry
young, there is family support for the young parents although medical risks remain
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high. But in today’s transitional society, the family support is gone, and many times
the teenage pregnancies lead to abortion and thus have dangerous consequences.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

The spread of sexually transmitted diseases is affected by sexual promiscuity resulting

from marital maladjustment, and in some distinct inadequacies in the social and
economic life of India and its health care system. Gonorrhea, syphilis, and other
sexually transmitted infections are major problems for young people, especially in
urban India where social change is rapid, marriage tends to be delayed, and traditional
restraints on premarital intercourse are reduced. Many cases of STD infections remain
untreated, especially in the large urban areas, mainly because the sufferers do not
know that they are affected, and also because they fear revealing their problem. The
lack of scientific knowledge about the diseases among the infected also adds to the
misery of the victims. In some communities, parents act as a major source of
information on sex for their sons and daughters, but for most of the communities in
India, sex is a taboo topic, and parents generally avoid communicating it to their
offspring. Among most of the young people in India, even in urban areas, ignorance of
the most basic facts about sexuality, conception, and contraception still continues to be
the norm. The combination of the rapid social change in India and the ignorance on the

basic information about sexuality are creating major and widespred health problems
for the young generation.

HIV/AIDS

The first confirmed evidence of AIDS infection in India came in April 1986, when six
prostitutes from Tamil Nadu tested positive for HIV antibodies. Subsequent findings
indicate that between October 1,1985, and September 30, 1993, a total of 459 AIDS
cases have been detected in India, of which 444 are Indians and 15 are foreigners. Data
19
 Sexual Attitudes

available in early 1995 indicate that thus far 1,898,670 persons have been screened for
the HIV virus, and 13,254 were found positive to HIV by the Western-Blot test. The
seropositive rate is 6.98 per thousand.

An indication of the population at risk for HIV infection can be found in the millions
of STD cases occurring in the country. In addition to being a marker for behavioral
vulnerability to HIV infection, untreated STD cases facilitate HIV transmission. In
Pune, the HIV infection rate among people seeking treatment for STD has increased
from about 9 % in 1991 to 17 % in 1992. An infection rate of up to 25 % was reported
in 1992 from surveys among prostitutes in Bombay. Meanwhile, there is little public
support for or interest in promoting safer sex practices and condom use among the
prostitutes, who are generally viewed as outcasts in India’s caste-bound society and
deserving of any ills that befall them. Among Bombay’s estimated 100,000 prostitutes,
the HIV rates shot up to 52 % in 1994, from 2 % in 1988. The sale of young girls into
sexual slavery in the Persian Gulf complicates the situation (Burns 1996).

The prevalence of HIV infection among the 5 million long-route truck drivers is also
very high. Health officials believe that the drivers are at the center of an imminent
explosion of AIDS among India’s 970 million people. The problem is evident at
Petrapole, 75 miles from Calcutta, on the main road between India and Bangladesh.
While grimy trucks line up fender to fender for miles, often waiting a week or more to
cross the Broken Boat River, thousands of drivers, helpers, and hawkers mix with local
women and teenage girls willing to engage in sex for as little as 10 rupees, about 28
cents. It is common for these men to buy sex every day, and sometimes several times a
day, while they wait. Researchers estimate that the truck drivers average 150 to 200
sexual encounters with sex workers a year. A single sex encounter can earn a woman
enough to feed her family for a day. They seldom use condoms. In late 1996, experts
estimated 30 % of India’s long-distance truck drivers were HIV-positive. The impact
on the family is already evidence. In a 1994 study by the National AIDS Research

20
 Sexual Attitudes

Institute in Pune, 100 miles southeast of Bombay, 14 % of the married women who
reported no sexual contact with anyone other than their husband tested HIV-positive
(Burns 1996).

The United Nations estimates that by the end of this century, over a million Indians
will be sick with full-blown AIDS, and 10 million will be HIV infected. A quarter of
the world’s projected infected will be in India. Some Indian experts paint a still
grimmer picture, estimating that between 20 and 50 million Indians will be infected by
HIV by the year 2000. In this event, there will be more AIDS patients in India than
there are hospital beds (Burns 1996).

While the principle mode for transmission of HIV infection in India is by heterosexual
promiscuity, the prevalence of the disease is also high in intravenous drug users who
share syringes and needles. In Manipur state, in India’s far northeast, bordering with
Burma (Myanmar), Laos, and Thailand, where studies have been conducted by the
field-practice unit at the surveillance center for HIV infection in Imphal. The results
show that the situation in this area is different from the rest of the country, primarily
because inject able heroin is easily available here. After the first seropositive case in
Manipur appeared in 1989, HIV infections soared among drug users to 54 % within six
months, By the beginning of 1992, 1,600 HIV-positive cases had been detected, most
of them being intravenous drug users.

Apart from unprotected sexual intercourse and intravenous drug injections,

contaminated blood transfusion is one of the main sources of infection. In India, the
sale of blood for transfusion and for preparation of blood products is a big business
and subject to very little control. Estimates of the incidents of HIV-infected mothers
transmitting the virus to their children during pregnancy and delivery shows that
(Ramachandran 1992) every year twenty thousand out of twenty-four million
deliveries in India are likely to occur in HIV-positive women.

21
 Sexual Attitudes

More than half of Bombay’s sex workers are HIV-positive, according to Dr. Subhash
Hira, an Indian-American, who runs as AIDS clinic in Bombay. Currently an
estimated 5 million people in India are HIV-positive. Hira predicts that by the year
2000, as many as 20 million Indians will be HIV-positive. However, with the
incidence of the virus currently doubling every year, it is more likely that the figure for
HIV-infected people in India will be about 15 %, or 160 million. This, according to
Dr. I. S. Gilada, a leading Indian expert on AIDS, could bring a collapse in India’s
economy, set the country back at least 50 years, and pull it “into a black hole of
despair unlike anything seen in this century” (Quoted by Friedman, 1996:12). India’s
national politicians and public health officials refuse to recognize or discuss this crisis,
often considering sex workers as an expendable commodity.

The government has proposed to set up a resort for AIDS Rehabilitation and Control
as a preparatory measure to cope with the AIDS threat looming large over the Indian
horizon. However, the nation’s annual AIDS budget is only about $20 million or
slightly more than two cents a person. Despite an $85 million World Bank loan to set
up a national AIDS control organization, India’s expendures for the control AIDS is
woefully inadequate. In late 1996, with only a year of the program left to run, only $35
million of the $85 had be spent (Burns 1996).

Opponents of spending money on AIDS prevention, including many politicians and

other opinion makers, argue that the government should give top priority to controlling
diseases like malaria and tuberculosis which kill tens of thousands of Indians every
year. In a nation which spends six tenths of one % of its $50 billion annual budget on
all health care, there is little money for educational publicity and free condoms. Some
programs have been able to distribute packets of four condoms at two rupees (three
cents), about half the usual cost. There is no money for AZT and other drugs (Burns
1996).

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 Sexual Attitudes

Although the HIV virus apparently did not begin to circulate in the Indian
subcontinent until about a decade after it arrived in the United States, where the
disease was first recognized in 1981, the virus has spread much more rapidly in India
than elsewhere. According to a July 1996 report at the eleventh international meeting
on AIDS, well over three million Indians were HIV-positive. This number easily
surpassed South Africa with 1.8 million cases, Uganda with 1.4, Nigeria with 1.2, and
Kenya with 1.1 million.

Sexual Dysfunctions, Counseling, and Therapies

Concepts of Sexual Dysfunction

The concept of sexual dysfunction in Indian context is defined differently with

reference to the person’s socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds. Generally, it
is differentiated for men and women, young and old, rich and poor, and able-bodied
and disabled persons.

Availability of Counseling, Diagnosis, and Treatment

There are no legal or other restrictions on who may practice as a psychosocial or

sexual therapist in India. Most of the persons with sexual problems who feel that they
need some treatment, seek help related to their symptoms. What sexual therapy there is
available deals with symptom relief and is generally regarded as successful if this is
the outcome. Though there are no clear-cut, government-funded, psychosexual therapy
services available in India, most of the health and family planning clinics provide one
or more of these services to their clients. Counseling by some of the marriage
counseling services, especially in cities, are also widely reported in the society.
Quacks that pose as very knowledgeable in sexual therapy, and widely advertise about
the effectiveness of their treatment, are commonly seen, especially in rural areas and
small towns. Because many people do not understand the need for qualified training of
23
 Sexual Attitudes

sexual therapists, these fraudulent therapists and their clinics attract many of those
who need proper counseling and cash in on their weaknesses.

A prevailing Victorian sexual repression, left over from colonial times, still makes it
impossible for many married couples to function well sexually, or even to function at
all. Sex clinics around New Delhi and other large cities typically cater mostly to men,
and offer advice, hormone injections, and herbal remedies at a cost of up to about $500
for a full course of treatment.

There is no organized data available on such incidences, nor on the effectiveness of

their treatments. Moreover, with the topic of sex being a taboo in Indian society,
people generally do not discuss their problems openly with others. In the process, they
easily become victims of such quacks in their communities.

Research and Advanced Education

There is very little sexological research being carried out in India thus far. Very few
institutions have concentrated any effort in this area of research or undertaken any
formal program on this important topic. Although there is no graduate or postgraduate
program on sexuality in any of the educational institutions, because of the recent
widespread discussions of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and a host of
other problems like bride burning and marital violence, there is a growing inclination
to undertake research in the area of sexuality, and to impart proper sex education for
the people in the society. The National Institute for Research in Sex Education,
Counseling and Therapy (NIRSECT) is the only official professional organization
devoted to sexual research in India.

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 Sexual Attitudes

REVIEW OF LITERATURE CHAPTER -2

The focus on the present investigation is to study the sexual attitude as perceived by
Post Graduate students in Algapa University at Karaikudi. An attempt is made in this
chapter to review the related studies and documented literature. The following chapter
gives a brief review of studies documented in relation to the present study.

ABRAHAM, L. AND KUMAR, A. (1999). The study explored heterosexual

Behavior and its correlates among a representative sample of low income youth
attending college in Mumbai. Data were gathered in two phase qualitative information
was gathered using focus group discussions, and in the second phase a survey was
conducted. The findings showed that the majority of males (70%) and females (66%)
hold moderate views towards sex in general. Attitudes toward premarital sex differed
25
 Sexual Attitudes

considerably by gender. Forty seven percent of females had sexual experiences, and
26% of men and three percent of women had inter course. Employed men reported
more sexual experience. Age, year in school, and academic program significantly
influenced the likelihood of females having had sexual experience socio-economic
variable at the household level did not show any significant relationship with student’s
sexual behavior. The study also showed an inconsistent relationship between
knowledge about sexual issues and sexual behavior. The authors conclude that
education programs on sexuality should be designed to reach out to the students.

ABRAHAM, L. (1998). The research report provides insights into the sexuality of
unmarried, low- income, urban college youth and ascertains knowledge and perception
regarding reproductive physiology, STDs, and contraception. Analysis of contexts in
which sexual activity occurs among college students, level of awareness about
availability and the utilization of services of reproductive health and planning is
provided. The educator’s viewpoint on sexual behavior and the role of educational
institutions are elaborated upon and appropriate intervention suggested. The study,
using a combination of qualitive and survey method, had a sample size of 966(boys
n=625 and girls=341) in an age range of 15 nto25 years. Boys were sexually active
whereas girls report low rates of sexual activity. Sex education programs did not reach
the college youth despite government efforts. Recommendations include the
curriculum integration a congenial educational; environment and student involvement
in sex education programs.

AWASTHI,S. AND PANDE,V.K. (1998). The study assessed the sexual behavior
patterns and knowledge of STD among underprivileged 15-21 years old boys. Boys
(N=221) from 35 anganwadi centers coming under the integrated child development
scheme were interviewed for their knowledge regarding STD prevention, placing them
at high risk for STD,HIV. Adolescents who smoked or consumed alcohol were more
likely to be sexually active before marriage using the (crude odd’s radio). The primary

26
 Sexual Attitudes

sources of knowledge about sex were friends, no one, television, magazine and books,
and siblings. The immediate initation of reproductive health counseling programs is
recommended.

BARNETT, B. (1997). The most effective sexual health programs help youth to
enhance communication and negotiation skills, clarify their values, and change risky
behavior, besides imparting information on reproductive health. They are aimed at
both those who are sexually active and those who are not. Research the world over has
shown that adolescents have little accurate information about reproductive issues.
Evaluation the impact of sex education programs , though problematic, indicated that
formal sex education increased knowledge of reproductive health and improved the
use of methods to protect against pregnancy and STD. sex education programs
increased knowledge about reproductive health, but knowledge does not always
translate into behavior change, as is revealed by studies in Uganda and Philippines.
Program that have incorporated elements of behavior change into sex education have
been more successful, as has been shown by The Planeando tu vida (planning your
life) program in Mexico and the Centro para Jovenes (center for youth) in Colombia.
In conclusion, the paper discusses guidelines for a comprehensive sex education
program , including the six key concept lidted by the Sexuality Information and
Education Council(SIECUS). It suggests that providers and policy makers consider the
following questions while establishing a sexual health program: what should the
curriculum include? Who should be involved in program planning and
implementation? And where should services be offered?
(http://www.fhi.org/en/fp/fpubs/network/vf7-3/nt1734.html).

CHAUDHARI, U.S. (1976). Administered to 930 male and female students in

secondary schools in Indore ( India ), an interest scale based on the 1936 scale
prepared by P.M. Symonds. The results have been reported in detail and have been
compared with the opinions of needs and interest of a large sample of Canadian

27
 Sexual Attitudes

adolescents. Males were found to be similar, while female opinion differed in the two
cultures.

DAVIES, S (2010), analysed the sexual behaviour and knowledge of HIV/AIDS

amongst university students in Lesotho. It presents information on sexual and
relationship habits as well as indicators of how, when and from whom respondents
learned about sex and HIV/AIDS. This is then analysed to try to understand the
relationship between behaviour and knowledge and learning about HIV/AIDS.
Understanding the link between these is crucial if interventions are to be designed
which will reduce risky sexual behaviour amongst this group and policy interventions
designed to achieve just this are suggested based on the analysis.

DEVI,G.,REDDY,N.V., AND LAXMANNA,M. (1988).The study assessed gender

differences among adolescents regarding knowledge of about sex, examined the
impact of educational level of parents on knowledge of the children, and investigation
sources though which adolescents obtained knowledge regarding sex. The mean
knowledge scores of boys were higher than those of girls, with significant difference in
knowledge scores of boys studying in junior intermediate level and having education
parents, as compared to their counterparts (girls). Similar results were reported for
senior intermediate boys with uneducated parents. A positive association existed
between age of the respondents, educational level of parents, and level of knowledge
among the adolescents. Teachers following by friends, book, and mass media
remained the main sources of information regarding sex education; parents played a
negligible role. The authors emphasize the need to provide accurate information
regarding sex to adolescents, particularly girls. The role that teacher and parents can
play in imparting sex education is also discussed.

Eric Swank, Lisa Raiz (2010) identifies the factors behind students’ attitudes toward
lesbian and gay individuals on the basis of the responses of 575 heterosexual

28
 Sexual Attitudes

undergraduates from 12 social work programs in the United States. Consistent with
attribution theory, the findings suggest that the belief that sexual orientation is a choice
is the strongest predictor of responses to gays and lesbians. The precepts of social
learning theory and the intergroup contact hypothesis were also substantiated because
sexual prejudice was lower among students with ‘‘gay-friendly’’ parents and
numerous interactions with homosexual peers. Negative interpretations of gay men
and lesbians were higher for students who embraced authoritarian orientations and
traditional gender-role beliefs and attended religious services more frequently.
Implications for educators in the university environment and the classroom are
presented.

GUPTA, S.P., RASTOGI,N., AND KUMAR,A.(1986).This study was undertaking

to find out about the sexual feelings, outlets, or practices of unmarried girls. The
subject were postgraduate and B.Ed. students (21-25 years) of local college,
belonging to higher and middle income groups families. A total of 162 girls students
of Agra town participated in this study by responding to a self-administered
questionnaire. The unmarried girls did indulge in sexual activities. Although 6.2%
reported total indifference to sex, 93.8% replied in the affirmative to having sexual
feeling. O f the latter group,73.5% admitted masturbation,1.2% to “heterosexual”, and
2.5% to homosexual activities.

HENDRICK, SUSAN et al (1985) developed a 102 item sexual attitudes

questionnaire that was completed by 439 female and 374 male undergraduates as part
of a larger attitude study. Factor analyses yielded 8 factors on which 74 of the 102
items loaded. Females were more responsible, conventional, and idealistic, whereas
males were more permissive, instrumental, and control- and power-oriented. The
means suggested that females were moderately conservative in sexual attitudes, while
males were moderately permissive. Based on the factor analysis, the present authors
formed 5 preliminary sexual attitudes scales. Correlations among the summed scale

29
 Sexual Attitudes

scores indicated that the scales were largely independent of each other. It is suggested
that the multidimensional complexity of sexual attitudes and empirical explanations
for the continuing gender differences in sexual attitudes should be studied.

JEJEEBHOY, (2000) Although, as a result, findings cannot be generalised, there is

considerable consistency in findings. They suggest that between 15 % and 30 % of
young men, and fewer than 10 % of young women reported the experience of
penetrative sex, and that substantially more report a romantic relationship or other
forms of physical intimacy, including holding hands, kissing or touching private parts
(Alexander et al., 2006). For example, a community-based study of youth aged 15–24
in Pune district, Maharashtra, reports that amongst young men, 17–24 % had had a
romantic relationship, 20–26 % had engaged in some form of physical intimacy and
16–18 % had had sex; the proportions among young women were 5–8 %, 4–6 % and
1–2 %, respectively (Alexander et al., 2006). A community-based study of young
adults aged 18–35 in Orissa reported that 22 % of single men and 27 % of married
men had experienced pre-marital sex Most studies have been descriptive and few have
focused on the correlates of sexual behaviour. There are, however, exceptions. A study
of sexual experience among 966 low-income college-going students in Mumbai
(Abraham and Kumar, 1999) noted that the sexually experienced were significantly
more likely than others to differ on individual characteristics for example they were
more likely to have access to resources, hold positive attitudes towards pre-marital sex,
report more social interaction with peers and be exposed to pornographic materials.
Factors such as parental restrictiveness, family religiosity and income, played no role
in influencing whether or not these students had experienced sex. In another study
conducted amongst adolescents in a slum setting in Pune city and the surrounding rural
areas, the level of self-confidence and peer interaction were significantly associated
with reports of experiences of romantic and sexual relations; here while parental
restrictiveness was not associated with either set of relations, the extent to which youth
reported close interaction with parents was inversely associated with these experiences
30
 Sexual Attitudes

(Alexander et al., 2007). Finally, a study of adolescents in a Delhi slum setting, using
entirely qualitative methods, reports, similarly, that parental restrictiveness does not
deter young people from forming romantic partnerships or engaging in sexual
relations.

JEAN CLAUDE MARTIN, et, al (2002) noticed much disagreement in the current
literature about these matters and decided to conduct a survey to better clarify these
important issues. The adapted Kinsey Institute New Report on Sex test (Reinisch &
Beasley, 1990) was used to determine sexual knowledge and the Insel / Roth, Core
Concepts in Health (2002) questionnaire was employed to assess students' sexual
attitude. Survey method and stratified random sampling were adopted for data
collection. Participants were 201 college students at a Mid-Atlantic university which
consisted of 101 males and 100 females, were mainly undergraduates (94.5%), white
(87.5%), between the ages of 20 – 22 (60%) with an age range of 17 to 46.

International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

(1997,January).WASHINGTON DC: Author. The bulletin summarizes the major
findings of studies conducted in different part of the india. A study conducted in
Bombay to understand sexuality among urban youth found that students perceive three
types of relationships--brother-sister, time pass, and true love—each with different
expectations regarding sexual activity; most of the sexual activity for boys was with
sex workers; level of knowledge regarding anatomy, reproduction, menstruation,
conception, and sexually transmitted diseases was low ; arranged marriages were
believed to be more successful than love marriage; virginity of a girls was considered
an important criterion for marriage.

A study on adolescents sexuality and fertility conducted in pune found that adolescents
aged 14-22 had incomplete knowledge of reproductive health; girls were unable to
refuse sex when their husbands wanted it; girls had less freedom than boys. Another

31
 Sexual Attitudes

study conducted in Ahmednagar on the use of reproductive health service by married

adolescent girls found that girla who married in early adolescence would have
preferred to wait; the first pregnancy was unwanted by most married adolescents; no
formal postnatal care for women was mentioned, but a ;large diet was promoted;
family planning methods were used after two son were born; illnesses suffered by
daughters-in- law came to light only when they became unbearable. The goal of these
projects is to improve the delivery of reproductive health services for adolescents in
India.

MUKHA.S. (1987). The author feels that until very recently the adolescent did not
have much relevance in Indian society, which remained a closed, traditional system,
industrialization, urbanization, technology, and mass education brought about
inevitable, rapid and far- reaching changes to the paternalistic family system, giving
rise to a peer group culture and exposing youngest to confliction choices. Describing
adolescent, the paper details the problem of adolescents sexuality arising out of an
inherent conflict between bio- need and psycho- social forces. The importance of
addressing the reproductive health needs (mental and physical) of adolescents is
emphasized. The paper concludes with a brief history of the family planning
association of India, highlighting its population education program, its ongoing
innovation project, and a list of some of its publications.

MUTATKAR, R.K., AND APTE,H.(1999). The objective of the study of 500 rural
adolescents (14-22 years) was to identify their knowledge, attitudes and sexual
practices, fertility, contraception, and reproductive tract infections, including STDs,
and to explore gender differences in the dynamics of decision making at the household
level on matters related to sexual behavior, fertility, and contraceptive use. Qualitative
and quantitative methods were used for data collection. The authors found strong
gender differentials. Boys enjoyed a greater degree of sexual freedom and indulged in
multiple partner relationships, whereas women were expected to be strictly

32
 Sexual Attitudes

monogamous once married. Menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and contraception

continue to be viewed as a woman’s domain, and men have hardly any role to play.
About 10% of unmarried and 30% of married males had pre-marital sex with multiple
partners, but no adolescent female admitted any such relationship. Blue films and
pornographic literature seem to be the prime sources of information for adolescent
males. A total of 69% of the married males reported knowledge of sexual intercourse
before marriage; only 4%of the unmarried males reported having used a condom.
About 44% of the married females said that they could not refuse sex on a particular
day, even if they did not wish to have sex; men look for sex outside the home. The risk
of extra- marital sex also increases when the wife goes away for childbirth.

NAGARAJA, J.(1983). This article examines parental, developmental, and social

causes of sexual problems among Indian adolescents and discusses the abnormal sex
problems in this group, including transvestism, paedophilia homosexuality,
exhibitionism, and zoophilia. Case studies are presented to illustrate the various causes
and problems. The author concludes that society has failed in its duty to guide the
younger generation to a healthy and uncomplicated sexuality.

Pilar Thompson Borne (2011) examined the interrelationships among religiosity,

feminist ideology and attitudes toward teenage pregnancy prevention. A self-report
survey instrument was used to collect data from 69 MSW students, a sample surveyed
for the first with the current study. A significant positive correlation was found
between level of religiosity and a preference for abstinence-only sex education.
Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between feminist ideology
and a preference for comprehensive sex education. Knowledge of condoms and oral
contraceptives was high among participants overall. Results suggest that the religiosity
and feminist ideology of MSW students influences attitudes towards sex education.

33
 Sexual Attitudes

However, knowledge of condoms and contraceptives does not appear to be influenced

by religiosity and feminist ideology.

PRASAD,R., and RAI,R. (1990). The present work was to see different levels of
education influence superstition and modernization. Sex differences were also
examined. The sample consisted of 75 male and 75 female students in the age range of
16-22 years from 3 different classes (intermediate, graduate and post graduate). Tools
used were a comprehensive modernization inventory and a superstition scale. Results
indicated that: (1) with increase in education there is increase in modernization and
superstition.(2) there is a significant positive correlation between superstition and
modernization specially in the cases of higher educational level ; and (3)sex does not
play a differentiating role in modernization and superstition.

SACHDEV, P. (1998). A sample of 887 students (19-24 years) from two major
universities in Delhi responded to a 30- item inventory regarding male and female
sexual anatomy and function, contraception, reproduction and menopause, and
common sexual problems. The women respondents expressed liberal views regarding
premarital sex and chastity, though they were more conservation than male
respondents. Female sexuality was acknowledged and opinions favored fidelity in
marriage. Basic knowledge regarding sexual anatomy and function was obtained
primarily from friends and books and rarely from parents.

SHARMA, V., AND SHARMA, A. (1997). To assess the sexual behavior of

unmarried, sexually active adolescent boys and to evaluate their knowledge of AIDS
and other sexually transmitted diseases and of correct use of condoms. The sample
consisted of 368 boys, of whom 294 were rural and 74 were urban. There was a low
mean knowledge score for STDs, and it was significantly correlated with education
(p< 0.001).A large number of boys believed that STDs were causes by having sexual
intercourse with a woman during her menstrual period. It was also commonly believed

34
 Sexual Attitudes

that STDs could be cured by having sex with a virgin. The age of the student
influenced the overall knowledge of correct use of condoms and also the frequency of
condom use (p<.001) there was a significant correlation between employment status
and age at first coitus (p<.001) and mean awareness score for correct use of condoms,
which 0.47 on a scale of 10. A negative correlation (-0.17) was found between the
literacy level of the boys and their knowledge of correct use of condoms. A majority
of the boys believed that HIV infection and AIDS are associated with homosexuality
and that, being heterosexuality, they were protected from these diseases. It can be
concluded that the sexually active adolescent boys in Gujarat, India are inadequately
prepared to protect themselves against STDs and hence there is a need to impart
knowledge of safe sex to them.

RYHAL,P.C. (1988). This study, designed to identify the beliefs commonly held
about characteristics association with male and female examines the change in
traditional Indian conception of sex stereotypes among school, college and university
students. The total sample containing 180 students (62 boys and 58 girls) is selected
randomly from sections of class 10th of two schools, and from the B.A. final year
class of two colleges in Simla. Sixty boys and girls from various departments of arts
and science faculty of H.P. University, Simla formed another group. A sex trait
stereotypes checklist was specifically prepared for the study. Analysis of the data
reveals that the sex trait stereotypes like aggressive, bold, assertive, etc. are found
highly associated with males, whereas, traits like beautiful, charming, etc. are found
highly associated with females by the students at all three level of education. However,
traits like adaptive, conforming, conservative, dignified, judicious, narrow minded,
social, etc. Show differential changes from lower from lower to higher levels of
education among the three groups of students, both boys and girls.

TERRI D. FISHER (1987) studied ninety-five college students and both of their
parents completed questionnaires that measured sexual attitudes, sexual behavior,

35
 Sexual Attitudes

general family communication, and parent-child communication about sex. Generally,

parents and children from high sexual communication families had sexual attitudes
that were significantly correlated whereas those from low sexual communication
families did not, although this relationship was not apparent for fathers and daughters.
The quality of family communication seemed unrelated to the extent of family sexual
discussions, although the parents' reports on the quality of general family
communication was significantly related to sexual inexperience, particularly for males.
Contraceptive use for females was significantly related to the extent of parent-child
communication about sex reported by the student.

Veli Duyan and Gülsüm Duyan (2005) studied the attitudes of social work students
in Turkey toward sexuality. According to their findings, gender differences, talking
about sexuality, and having an active sex life, affect liberality about sexuality.
Religious beliefs have a significant impact on attitudes, and their study show that
Turkish social work students were relatively sexually inexperienced and conservative.
However, they were more accepting and liberal for others’ sexual preferences than for
their own.

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 Sexual Attitudes

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 3

This chapter describes the methods followed to achieve the goals of the study. It
includes the definition of the problem, significance and scope of the study, aim of the
study, objectives, hypotheses, the research design, sampling, definition, tools for data
collection and statistical analysis.

Aim

The main aim of this study was to assess the sexual attitudes and misconceptions on
sex among post graduate college students and assess the need of sex education.

Objectives

 To study the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents.

 To assess the level of sexual attitudes. as perceived by the college students

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 Sexual Attitudes

 To study the misconceptions on sex.

 To analyze the difference and relationship between the selected socio demographic
variables with various dimensions of sexual attitude and to assess the level of
sexual attitude in premarital sex, polygamy, pornography, lesbianism and
homosexuality.

 To suggest suitable measures to improve the level of sexual awareness among

college students.

Hypotheses

1. There is a significant association between age and level of perceived attitude

towards sexuality of the respondents

2. . There is a significant association between area of domicile and level of

perceived attitude towards sexuality of the respondents

3. There is a significant association between participation in extra curricular

activities and level of perceived attitude towards sexuality of the respondents

4. There is a significant association between quality time spent by the parents and
level of perceived attitude towards sexuality of the respondents

5. There is a significant difference among gender and perceived attitude towards

sexuality of the respondents

6. There is a significant difference between the type of family and perceived

attitude towards sexuality of the respondents
38
 Sexual Attitudes

7. There is a significant correlation between the academic achievement and

perceived attitude towards sexuality of the respondents

8. There is a significant difference between the type of personality and perceived

attitude towards sexuality of the respondents

Conceptual Definitions

Human sexuality is how people experience the erotic and express themselves as
sexual beings; the awareness of themselves as males or females; the capacity they have
for erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can be described as the way
someone is sexually attracted to another person of the opposite sex heterosexuality to
the same sex homosexuality, to both sexes bisexuality or attracted to no sexes in a
sexual way a sexuality.

Sexual attraction is an important aspect of the sexuality of the person being observed,
as well as of the person observing. Each person determines the qualities that they find
attractive, which vary from person to person. A person's sexual orientation has a
significant influence on which qualities they will find attractive. The qualities that
people can find sexually attractive may depend on the physical quality, including both
looks and movements of a person but can also be influenced by voice or smell as well
as by individual preferences resulting from a variety of genetic, psychological, and
cultural factors.

Premarital sex is sexual intercourse engaged in by persons who are unmarried. In

some interpretations it is considered a sin in Christianity and Islam. Others see only
sexual immorality as forbidden.

39
 Sexual Attitudes

Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners. When a man is
married to more than one wife at a time, the relationship is called polygamy , and there
is no marriage bond between the wives.

Pornography or porn is the portrayal of explicit sexual subject matter for the
purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction. Pornography may use any of a
variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture,
drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video, or video game.

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and
romantic desire between females.

Homosexuality As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern

of or disposition to experience sexual, affect ional, or romantic attractions" primarily
or exclusively to people of the same sex.

Pilot Study:

In the preliminary stage of the study the researcher conducted a pilot study in order to
find out the possibility of carrying out the study. The researcher visited Alagapa
University to get permission to carryout the study and the list of post graduate
students. The list was later used in the selection of the respondents using sampling
framework adopted for the present study. Data would be collected from the students
through sampling technique which was decided upon by the researcher.

Research Design

Descriptive cum diagnostic research design is used for the study. Descriptive research
studies are those studies which are concerned with describing the characters of
particular individual and group (Kothari.1996).
40
 Sexual Attitudes

Inclusion Criteria

1. The study includes both male and female between the age group 18 to 23 years.
2. The study includes both male and female studying post graduate studies.
3. The study includes the geographical limits of karikudi.
4. The study includes students with both English and Tamil as a medium of
instruction.

Universe

The present descriptive study on the perceived sexual attitude among the post graduate
students was conducted in five departments of Alagappa University, Karaikkal. The
size of the universe is 105.

Sampling Procedure

The researcher adopted disproportionate stratified random sampling procedure for the
present study.

SNo Name of the Total number of Sample

Department students Size

1 M.A. Tamil 15 10

2 M.A. English 20 10

3 M.C.A 30 10

41
 Sexual Attitudes

4 M.S.W 25 10

5 M.A.Women’s Studies 15 10

Total 105 50

Tools for Data Collection

The researcher used questionnaire as a tool for collecting data for the present study
from the students. The researcher prepared a self-prepared interview schedule to study
the socio-demographic data pertaining to the students such as age, gender, family type,
parent’s occupation, Income, etc., and to measure the sexual attitude Sexual Attitude
Scale developed by Amit Abraham (1997) was used.

Statistical Design

Analysis of the collected data after coding was subjected to both basic and advanced
statistical procedures. The data thus collected was analyzed using SPSS. Simple tables
were prepared for the demographic data. Statistical analyses were done to analyze the
hypotheses and objectives of the study.

The researcher has used various test like a) ‘t’ test b) “One way analysis(F)” c) Karl
Pearson’s Correlation d) chi-quire test

Problems Encountered by the Researcher

42
 Sexual Attitudes

The researcher encountered the following problems while undertaking the

investigations which are enumerated below:

1. Since the entire questionnaire and scale were translated into Tamil and the
instrument contains more unfamiliar statements, the data collection took longer
time to explain, understand and answer the questions.
2. The researcher had difficulty in getting permission from colleges to collect data
from post graduate students.
3. Most of the respondents find difficulty in answering few questions in the scale.
4. Even though the students were educated they did not understand certain terms
and concepts in scales and hence the researcher had to clarify such concepts and
terms to ensure they understood them clearly.

Chapterization

This thesis consists of five chapters. The format of the thesis is as follows.

Chapter one - Introduction

Chapter two – Review of literature,

Chapter three – Methodology

Chapter four – Analysis and Interpretation

Chapter five – Findings and Suggestions, Bibliography and Appendices.

43
 Sexual Attitudes

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS CHAPTER IV

Table No 1 Distribution of the Respondents by their Socio-Demographic

characteristics

Sl. Variables Frequency Percentage

No
(n=50) (%)
1 Gender
a)Male 25 50.0
b)Female 25 50.0

2 Age
a)18-20 3 6.0
b)21-23 40 80.0
c)Above 23 7 14.0

3 Religion

a)Hindu 45 90.0

b)Christian 5 10.0

44
 Sexual Attitudes

4 Community

a)FC 2 4.0

b)BC 28 56.0

c)MBC 12 24.0

c)SC/ST 8 16.0

5 Type of Family

a)Nuclear 9 18.0

b)Joint 41 82.0

6 Area of Domicile

a)Rural 18 36.0

b)Urban 12 24.0

c)Semi Urban 20 40.0

7 Parental education status

a)VI-X STD 14 28.0

b)XI&XII STD 5 10.0

c)Diploma 1 2.0

d)Under Graduation 8 16.0

e)Post Graduaion 5 10.0

f)Illiterate 17 34.0

8 occupation

a)Farmer 18 36.0

45
 Sexual Attitudes

b)Labour 13 26.0

c)Teacher 4 8.0

d)Business 7 14.0
e)Others 8 16.0

9 Income

a)Rs 5000-Rs 10000 16 32.0

b)Rs 11000- Rs 15000 6 12.0

c ) Rs 16000- Rs 20000 14 28.0

d) Rs 21000- Rs 25000 4 8.0

e)Above Rs 25000 10 20.0

10 Participation in extra-
curricular activities
a)Yes 29 58.0

b)No 21 42.0

11 Personality

a)Introvert 29 58.0

b)Extrovert 21 42.0

12 Quality time spent by

parents
a)Yes 38 76.0

b)No 12 24.0

13 Academic achievement

46
 Sexual Attitudes

a)Poor 3 6.0

b)Very poor 1 2.0

c)Better 19 38.0

d)Good 22 44.0

e)very good 5 10.0

From the above table it is inferred that half 50% are males and remaining half are
females. Majority 80.0 % of the respondents were in the age group of 21 -23 years,
14% of the respondents were above 23 years,6% of the respondents were in the age
group of 18-20 years old.

Vast majority 90.0% of the respondents are Hindus and 10% of the respondents are
Christians. More than half 56.0% of the respondents belong to backward
community , nearly one fourth 24% of the respondents belong to most backward
community, 16% of the respondents belong to the category of SC/ST, 4% of the
respondent belong to Forward Community.

Vast majority 82.0 % of the respondents belong to nuclear family and 18% of the
respondents belong to joint family. Less than half 40 % of the respondents are form
Semi Urban, 36% of the respondents is from rural area and nearly one forth of the
respondents is from urban area.

One third 34% of the respondents parents are illiterates , above one forth 28% of the
respondents parent had educated up to secondary level, 16% of the respondents parents
have completed their under graduation, 10% of the respondents parents have
completed their post graduation, 10% of the respondents parents have completed their
high school.

47
 Sexual Attitudes

One third 36% of the respondent’s fathers are Farmers, above one forth 26% of the
respondents fathers are agricultural laborers, 14% of the respondents fathers are
Business men, 16% of the respondents fathers work as coolies, 8% of the respondents
fathers are teachers.

One third 32% of the respondents family income is Rs5000 to Rs10000, more than one
forth 28% of the respondents family income is Rs16000 to Rs20000, one fifth 20% of
the respondents family income is above Rs25000, 12% of the respondents family
income is Rs11000 to Rs15000.

Nearly majority 58% of the respondents participate in extra circular activities and less
than half 42% of the respondent are not involved in extra circular activities.

Nearly majority 58% of the respondents are introvert personality and less than half
42% of the respondents are extrovert personality.

Nearly vast majority 76% of the respondents parents spend quality time and nearly one
forth 24% of the respondents parents do not spend quality time with their children.

Nearly half 44% of the respondents academic achievement are good, more than one
third 38% of the respondents academic achievement are better,10% of the respondents
academic achievement are very good and 6% the respondents academic achievement
are poor

48
 Sexual Attitudes

Table No. 2: Distribution of the Respondents by their Perceived Attitude towards

Sexuality

Sl. Frequency Percentage

Variables
No (n=50) (%)
Premarital Sex
1 a) Low 25 50.0

b) High 25 50.0
2 Bigamy Sex

a) Low 31 62.0

b) High 19 38.0

Pornography
3
a) Low 26 52.0

b) High 24 48.0
Lesbianism
4 Low 28 56.0
High 22 44.0
Homosexual
5 Low 31 62.0
High 19 38.0
Overall scoring
6 a) Low 25 50.0

b) High 25 50.0

49
 Sexual Attitudes

From the above table it is inferred that half 50% of the respondents’ perceive high
level of attitude towards sexuality with regard to the dimension of premarital sex.
Another half 50% of the respondents perceive low level. Majority 62% of the
respondents’ perceived attitude towards sexuality with regard to the dimension of
bigamy is low. More than one third 38% of the respondent’s perceived high level.
More than half 52% of the respondents’ perceived attitude towards sexuality with
regard to the dimension of pornography is low. Nearly half 48% of the respondents
perceived high level. Nearly majority 56% of the respondent’s perceived attitude
towards sexuality with regard to the dimension of Lesbianism is low. Nearly half 44%
of the respondents perceived high level. Majority 62% of the respondent’s perceived
attitude towards sexuality with regard to the dimension of Homosexuality is high. 38%
of the respondents perceived low level.

Overall perceived attitude towards sex half of the respondents 50% feel low and
another half 50% feel high

Table No. 3 Association between the age and level of sexual attitude of the
respondents
50
 Sexual Attitudes

Overall scoring Statistical

Low High inference
S.No Age
(n=25) (n=25)
1 18-20 3 χ 2= 3.243
0
(12.0%)
df =2
2 21-23 19
21(84.0%) P> 0.05
(76.0%)
3 Above 23 3 Not
4(16.0%)
(12.0%) Significant

Chi χ 2=3.243

Chi- square test was applied to find out the association between age and level of sexual
attitude of the respondents. The result shows that the calculated value (3.243) is less
than the table value at 5% level of significance. Since the calculated value is less than
the table value it is inferred that there is no significant association between age and
level of sexual attitude by the respondents. Hence the null hypothesis is accepted.

It means the age has very little influence on the level of sexual attitudes

Table No. 4 Association between the Area of Domicile and level of sexual attitude
of the respondents

Overall scoring Statistical

inference
Low High
51
 Sexual Attitudes

S.No Area of domicile

(n=25) (n=25)
1 Rural 8(32.0%) 10(40.0%)
6(24.0%)
Urban 6(24.0%)
2 χ 2= 0.422

df =2
3 Semi urban P> 0.05
11(44.0%) 9(36.0%)
Not
Significant

chi χ 2 = 0.422

Chi- square test was applied to find out the association between area of domicile and
level of sexual attitude of the respondents. The result shows that the calculated value
(0.422) is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Since the calculated
value is less than the table value it is inferred that there is no significant association
between area of domicile and level of sexual attitude by the respondents. Hence the
null hypothesis is accepted.

Table No. 5 Association between participation in extra circular activities and

level of sexual attitude of the respondents

Overall scoring Statistical

inference
Low High
52
 Sexual Attitudes

S.No Participation in extra

circular activities
(n=25) (n=25)

19(76.0%) 10(40.0%)
1 Yes χ 2= 6.650

df =1
2 No 6(24.0%) 60(60.0%) p<0.05

Significant

Chi x2 = 6.650

Chi- square test was applied to find out the association between extra circular activities
and level of sexual attitude of the respondents. The result shows that the calculated
value (6.650) is more than the table value at 5% level of significance. Since the
calculated value is more than the table value it is inferred that there is a significant
association between extra circular activities and level of sexual attitude by the
respondents. Hence the null hypothesis is rejected.

It means the extra circular activities have more influence on the level of sexual
attitude.

Table No. 6 Association between the quality time spent by the parents and level
of sexual attitude of the respondents

53
 Sexual Attitudes

Overall scoring Statistical

inference
S.No parent spend quality time Low High

(n=25) (n=25)

19(76.0%) 19(76.0%)
1 Yes X2 = 0.000

df =1
2 p<0.05 Chi
No 6(24.0%) 6(24%) x2 =
Not 0.000
Significant

Chi- square test was applied to find out the association between parent spend quality
time and level of sexual attitude of the respondents. The result shows that the
calculated value (0.000) is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Since
the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred that there is no significant
association between parents spend quality time and level of sexual attitude by the
respondents. Hence the null hypothesis is accepted.

Table No -7 One way analysis among the respondents gender and their perceived
attitude towards Sexuality

Sl. Standard
Sum of Mean
No Variables Mean Deviatio df F
Squares Square
. n
54
 Sexual Attitudes

1 Premarital Sex
Between G1=59.3600 12.18223 1860.500 1 1860.500 F=15.355
Groups
G2=71.5600 9.69141 5815.920 48 121.165 p<0.05
Within Groups Significant

2 Bigamy
Between G1=13.0000 2.91548 .020 1 .020 F=0.003
Groups
G2=12.9600 2.20756 320.960 48 6.687 p<0.05
Within Groups Not
Significant
3 Pornography
Between G1=43.4800 6.29894 44.180 1 44.180 F=1.142
Groups
G2=41.6000 6.13732 1856.240 48 38.672 p<0.05
Within Groups Not
Significant
4 Lesbianism
Between G1=40.5200 5.50848 95.220 1 95.220 F=3.299
Groups
G2=43.2800 5.23227 1385.280 48 28.860 p<0.05
Within Groups Not
Significant
5 Homosexuality
Between G1=36.8800 4.63968 3.380 1 3.380 F=0.194
Groups
G2=36.3600 3.66151 838.400 48 17.467 p<0.05
Within Groups Not
Significant
Overall total
Between G1=193.2400 17.93572 1959.380 1 1959.380 F=7.933
Group
G2=205.7600 13.12529 11855.12 48 246.982 p<0.05
0
within Group
Significant
G1=Male G2=Female

55
 Sexual Attitudes

One way analysis of variance was applied to find out the different among the gender
and perceived attitude toward sexuality of the respondents.
The result shows that the calculated value (15.355) is more than the table value at 5%
level of significance with regard to the dimension of Premarital Sex. Since the
calculated value is more than the table value it is inferred that there significant
difference among gender and perceived attitude towards sexuality with regard to the
dimension of premarital sex. Hence the research hypothesis is accepted. It means the
gender have more influence on the premarital sex.

The table reveals that the calculated value (0.003) is less than the table value at 5%
level of significance. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred
that there no significant difference among gender and perceived attitude towards
sexuality with regard to the dimension of bigamy. Hence the null hypothesis is
accepted. It means the gender has a very less influence on bigamy.

The table depicts that the calculated value (1.142) is less than the table value at 5%
level of significance. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred
that there no significant difference among gender and perceived attitude towards
sexuality with regard to the dimension of pornography. Hence the null hypothesis is
accepted. It means the gender has a very less influence on the pornography.

The table states that the calculated value (3.299) is less than the table value at 5% level
of significance. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred that
there no significant difference among gender and perceived attitude towards sexuality
with regarding dimension of lesbianism. Hence the null hypothesis is accepted. It
means the gender has a very less influence on lesbianism.

The table expresses that the calculated value (0.194) is less than the table value at 5%
level of significance. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred
56
 Sexual Attitudes

that there no significant difference among gender and perceived attitude towards
sexuality with regarding dimension of homosexuality. Hence the null hypothesis is
accepted. It means the gender has a very less influence on homosexuality.

The overall result points out that the calculated value (7.933) is more than the table
value at 5% level of significance. Since the calculated value is more than the table
value it is inferred that there is a significant difference among gender and perceived
attitude towards sexuality .

Table No. 8 Difference between the Type of family and perceived sexual attitude
of the respondents

S.No Type of family Mean S.D Statistical

inference
1 Premaritalsex t = 0.757
57
 Sexual Attitudes

a Joint family(n=9) 68.33 12.639 .453>0.05

b Nuclear 64.83 12.558 Not significant

family(n=41)
2 Bigamy t = 0.168
a Joint family(n=9) 13.11 2.522 .867>0.05
b Nuclear 12.95 2.298 Not significant
family(n=41)
3 Pornography t =.953
a Joint family(n=9) 44.33 6.892 .345>0.05
b Nuclear 42.15 6.093 Not significant
family(n=41)
4 Lesbianism t =1.499
a Joint family(n=9) 39.44 4.003 .141>0.05
b Nuclear 42.44 5.670 Not significant
family(n=41)
5 Homosexuality t =1.681
a Joint family(n=9) 34.56 4.035 .099>0.05
b Nuclear 37.07 4.077 Not significant
family(n=41)
6 Overall total t =.054
a Joint family(n=9) 199.78 17.355 .957>0.05
b Nuclear 199.44 16.885 Not significant
family(n=41)

t-test was applied to find out the difference between the type of family and perceived
sexual attitude by the respondents. The result depicts that the calculated value (0.757,
0.168, 0.953, 1.499, 1.681, 0.54) is less than the table value at 5% level of
significance. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred that
there is no significant difference between the type of family and perceived sexual
attitude by the respondents. Hence the null hypothesis is accepted

Table No. 9: Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation between the academic

achivements of the respondents and their perceived Sexual Attitude

Various Academic premarit Bigam Pornograp Lesbia Homosexu overall

58
 Sexual Attitudes

achievemen
dimensions al sex y sex hy n sex al total
ts
Academic
achievemen 1 -.034 -.064 .093 .082 -.066 .010
ts
.
premarital
-.034 1 .256 .084 .208 -.238 825(**
sex
)
Bigamy sex -0.64 .256 1 -.113 .122 -.189 .294(*)
.
Pornograph
.093 .084 -.113 1 -.067 -.069 377(**
y
)
.
Lesbian sex 0.82 .208 .122 -.067 1 .252 538(**
)
Homosexua
-.066 -.238 -.189 -.069 .252 1 .098
l
.
.
overall total .010 .825(**) .377(**) 538(** .098 1
294(*)
)

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

From the above table it is evident that there is significant relationship between the
academic achievement of the respondents with premarital sex, pornography and
lesbianism of the dimensions of perceived sexual attitude.

59
 Sexual Attitudes

Table No. 10 Difference between the Type of personality and perceived sexual
attitude of the respondents

S.No Type of
Mean S.D Statistical inference
Personality
1 Premarital sex t = 1.347
a
Introvert (n=29) 63.45 13.407 .184>0.05

b
Extrovert (n=21) 68.24 10.872 Not significant

2 Bigamy t = 0.268
a Introvert (n=29) 12.90 2.756 .790>0.05
b
Extrovert (n=21) 13.10 2.322 Not significant

3 Pornography t =.795
a Introvert (n=29) 43.14 5.462 .431>0.05
b
Extrovert (n=21) 41.71 7.212 Not significant

4 Lesbianism t =-.667
a Introvert (n=29) 41.45 5.268 .508>0.05
b
Extrovert (n=21) 42.52 5.870 Not significant

5 Homosexuality t =-2.566
a Introvert (n=29) 37.86 3.623 .014>0.05
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 Sexual Attitudes

b
Extrovert (n=21) 34.90 4.288 Not significant

6 Overall total t =-.346

a Introvert (n=29) 198.79 16.868 .730>0.05
b
Extrovert (n=21) 200.48 17.049 Not significant

t-test was applied to find out the difference between the type of personality and
perceived sexual attitude of the respondents. The result depicts that the calculated
value (1.347, .268, .795, -.667, -2.566, -.346) is less than the table value at 5%
level of significance. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is inferred
that there is no significant difference between the type of personality and perceived
sexual attitude of the respondents. Hence the null hypothesis is accepted.

61
 Sexual Attitudes

MAJOR FINDINGS CHAPTER – V

This chapter deals with major findings and suggestions of the present study.

I. Findings related to Socio – demographic characterteristics

 Half 50 % were males and remaining half 50% of the respondents females.

 Majority 80 % of the respondents were in the age group of 21to23 years.

 Vast majority 90 % of the respondent’s are Hindus and 10% are Christians.

 More than half 56 % of the respondents belong to backward community, nearly

one forth of the respondents belong to most backward community,16 % of the
respondents belong to category schedule castes and schedule tribes, and 4% are
forward community

 Among the total rspondents vast majority 80 % of the respondents belong to

nuclear family.

 Less than half 40 % of the respondents are from semi urban, 36% of the
respondents are from rural areas, nearly one forth 24 % from urban areas.

 One third 34 % of the respondents parents are illiterates, above one forth 28%
of the respondents parents had educated up to secondary level, 16% of the
respondents parents have completed their under graduation, 10% of the
respondents parents have completed post graduation.

 One third 36 % of the respondent’s fathers are farmers, above one forth 26 % of
the respondents fathers are agricultural labourers, 14 % of the respondents
fathers are business men, 16 % of the respondents fathers work as coolies, 8 %
of the respondents fathers are teachers.

 one third 32 % of the respondents family income is Rs.5000 to Rs.10000, more

than one forth 28 % of the respondents family income is Rs.16000 to Rs.20000,

62
 Sexual Attitudes

one fifth 20 % of the respondents family income is above Rs.25000, 12% of

the respondents family incomes is Rs. 11000 to Rs.15000.

 Nearly majority 58% of the respondents participate in extra circular activities.

 Nearly majority 58% of the respondents are introvert personality and less than
half 42% of the respondents are extrovert personality.

 Nearly vast majority 76% of the respondents parents spend quality time with
their children

 Among the total respondents nearly half 44% of the respondents academic
achievement are good.

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 Sexual Attitudes

HYPOTHETICAL FINDINGS

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –I (TABLE NO-3)

There is a significant association between the age and level of perceived sexual
attitude of the respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

Chi-square test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is no significant association between the age and level of perceived sexual
attitude of the respondents. So research hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is
accepted.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –II (TABLE NO-4)

There is a significant association between the area of domicile and level of perceived
sexual attitude of the respondents.

Chi-square test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is no significant association between the area of domicile and level of perceived
sexual attitudes of the respondents. So research hypothesis is rejected and null
hypothesis is accepted.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –III (TABLE NO-5)

64
 Sexual Attitudes

There is a significant association between participation in extra curricular activities

and level of perceived sexual attitude of the respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

Chi-square test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is a significant association between the extra circular activities and level of
perceived sexual attitudes of the respondents. So research hypothesis is accepted and
null hypothesis is rejected.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –IV (TABLE NO-6)

There is a significant association between the quality time spent by parents and level
of perceived sexual attitude of the respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

Chi-square test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is no significant association between the quality time spent by parents and level
of perceived sexual attitudes of the respondents. So research hypothesis is rejected
and null hypothesis is accepted.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –V (TABLE NO-7)

There is a significant difference among the gender and perceived sexual attitude of the
respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

65
 Sexual Attitudes

One way analysis F-test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is a significant association between the gender and perceived sexual attitude of
the respondents. So research hypothesis is accepted and null hypothesis is rejected.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –VI (TABLE NO-8)

There is a significant difference between the type of family and perceived sexual
attitude of the respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

t-test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is no significant difference between the type of family and perceived sexual
attitudes of the respondents. So research hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is
accepted.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –VII (TABLE NO-9)

There is a significant coefficient of correlation between the academic achievement

and perceived sexual attitude of the respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

Karl Pearson’s Co-efficient of correlation test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

66
 Sexual Attitudes

There is significant relationship between the academic achievement of the respondents

with premarital sex, pornography and lesbianism of the dimensions of perceived
sexual attitude. So research hypothesis is accepted and null hypothesis is rejected.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS –VIII(TABLE NO-10)

There is a significant difference between the type of personality and perceived sexual
attitude of the respondents.

STATISTICAL TEST

t- test was used to test the above hypothesis.

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

There is no significant difference between the type of personality and perceived sexual
attitude of the respondents. So research hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is
accepted.

SUGGESTION
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 Sexual Attitudes

The findings reveals that half on the respondents favours premarital sex,nearly half
pornography,less than half lesbianism, one third homosexuality the following
suggestions can be implemented.
1. Sex is not a topic that adolesants discuss at home with their parents. Many
parents aren't comfortable discussing sex, and prefer to hope that their children
are figuring it out from other sources such as television, movies, their friends
and school. This is a dangerous hit and miss method that leaves youngsters in
the dark, and causes them to make in some cases disastrous
mistakes.Adolesants are bombarded daily by the media with sexual topics and
images. Our youngsters have easy access to it, and these media often do not
provide accurate information.Having comprehensive sex education in schools
and colleges makes dialogue between children and their parents more likely.
This is when parents have the opportunity to educate their children about their
own views regarding sex, and to supplement whatever the adolescents are being
taught in colleges.In order to help our younger generation to make informed
decisions regarding sex, we need to have comprehensive sex education in allthe
colleges. If this issue is not addressed by our educational institutions and we
leave it up to the media, parents who either aren't comfortable or just simply
refuse to discuss the topic, or our kids' friends, then we have to be prepared for
higher rates of pregnant teens, teen depression, and suicide rates, all of which
can be linked to adolescents having sex before they are ready and or have all the
facts.
2. 2.Values,ethics and Indian Culture must be taught in schools and colleges very
strongly.
3. 3.Creating oppurtunities for the students to learn more on Sexual attitude.
4. 4.Organising conferences,seminars,symposiums ,workshops and awareness
programmes on sex education gives clarity and widen the horizons of
knowledge among the adolescents.

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 Sexual Attitudes

5. 5.Appointing student counselors more in colleges may help the students to get
professional guidens when they want to share their personal problems
6. 6.Majority of the people view television. So advertisements spreading the
message on sex education should be screened to create more awareness among
all.
7. 7.Value education classes should be included for the Post graduation students
also to strengthen the knowledge on self disciplined,self controlled and a
matured life.
8. 8.Arranging personality development training programmes,mental health
programmes and life skills education shall mould the adolescents to face
challenges and risks and makes a complete and competent personalities.
9. 9.Organising programmes for the parents and teachers on the problems among
the present day adolescents on sexual attitude and ways to handle effectively
may help to through light on the responsibilities and urgency to shape the youth
to prevent unnecessary problems.

CONCLUSION

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 Sexual Attitudes

The sexual attitudes of college students have changed throughout the recent history.
What has been created is a generation of college students who are more knowledgeable
about sexual attitudes and protection than previous generations of students. Integrating
sexual and reproductive health meaningfully in the life of students, and with as little
conflict and disruption as possible, with other aspects of student’s developing sense of
self and of relations with others is a major developmental task for college students.
How adequately this task is ultimately handled, the extent to which it becomes a
source of joy or despair, of challenge and success, or failure and defeat, depends on
many factors, ranging from the complexities of early parent-child relationships to
contemporary social standards and values. If the transition taking place is very smooth
and healthy, the individual enjoys their life in the future and makes others feel
comfortable. Students whose transition is unhealthy and rough may not be able to
contribute much to the society, and they may become violators of social norms and
values. Hence it is very important that this delicate period in human development must
be taken care of by constant guidance, appropriate environment that generates healthy
encounters, experiences, parental care and relationship and opportunity for higher
education need to be ensured as balancing factors in every adolescent’s life situation.
However, the dangerous sexual attitudes that college students engage in are not likely
to go away over night; educators must continue to be diligent and creative in their
efforts to educate young adults.

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