Thursday, July 6, 2017

Surprising Trend Toward Extramarital Sex in America #Science #Sociology

America's generation gap is surfacing in a surprising statistic: rates of extramarital sex.

Older Americans are cheating on their spouses more than their younger counterparts, with 20 percent of married Americans over age 55 reporting they've engaged in extramarital sex. Just 14 percent of those under age 55 say they've cheated, according to Nicholas H. Wolfinger, a professor in the University of Utah's Department of Family and Consumer Studies.

The Institute for Family Studies on July 5, 2017, published Wolfinger's research brief "America's New Generation Gap in Extramarital Sex," which is based on analysis of data from the General Social Survey.

Phys.org:  The surprising trend in extramarital sex in America

WIKI:  General Social Survey

Probably like many places, we expect science from Utah about as much as we expect to go salmon fishing in the Great Salt Lake.  We're also deeply suspicious of anyplace with a department of family and consumer studies since that sounds quite a bit like an intellectualized version of Facebook.

However, the General Social Survey is a well-regarded resource for non-biased accumulation of sociological information.  We see Herr Doktor Wolfinger analyzed the data but that doesn't tell us anything at all about the type of analysis he did.


Rates of extramarital sex by age have diverged since 2000, with increased cheating reported by people in their 50s and 60s, Wolfinger said. Most of these respondents were married between 20 years and 30 years.

But there may be more going on than lengthy marriages and midlife crises, he added. These older Americans also came of age in the wake of the sexual revolution and, over the course of their lifetimes, have had more sex partners compared to younger Americans.

Also, while a majority of Americans continue to disapprove of extramarital sex, attitudes have softened, particularly among older survey respondents.

- PO

We love sliding scales and using conclusions which apply across all of them.  Respondents from 2000 would be in the 70s and 80s at the time of this report and there's nothing to indicate whether the attitudes or beliefs in this subset went up, down, or sideways.

The subset in their 50s and 60s now apparently are enjoying a sexual Saturday Night Live but the explanation for that gets strange.  Those older Americans in that range did not come on the heels of he sexual revolution since that had started in the early 60s with the advent of The Pill so the ones who are in their 70s now, to a large extent, launched the sexual revolution and those in their 50s and 60s were right in the thick of it.  There's nothing to indicate whether that subset ever changed.


These older Americans also came of age in the wake of the sexual revolution and, over the course of their lifetimes, have had more sex partners compared to younger Americans.

Also, while a majority of Americans continue to disapprove of extramarital sex, attitudes have softened, particularly among older survey respondents.

Wolfinger observes that the General Social Survey asks respondents about extramarital sex, not explicitly adultery. This raises the possibility that the data reflect rising participation in polyamory or "ethical nonmonogamy," extramarital relationships conducted with the active permission of one's spouse.

"No matter how many polyamorists there are today, old-fashioned adultery seems to have risen among older Americans," Wolfinger said. And the consequences are plain.

- PO

This couldn't get any thinner unless you're in the middle of the lake and you hear the ice starting to crack.

And the consequences are plain

- PO

What fucking consequences.  We haven't seen a word about consequences.


"Even as overall divorce rates have fallen in recent decades, there has been a startling surge in 'grey divorce' among the middle-aged," he said. "Part of that story seems to be a corresponding increase in midlife adultery, which seems to be both the cause and the consequence of a failing marriage. The declining rates of extramarital sex among younger Americans seemingly portends a future of monogamous marriage. But the seeds sown by the sexual revolution continue to bear unanticipated fruit among older Americans."

- PO

Hot damn, there's another startling surge but there's nothing to document that either.  We also see our favorite with 'part of that story seems to be' and that one is a favorite for the situation in which the science doesn't deliver something to satisfy your preconceived notions ... backfill it with bullshit.

Best of all let's invoke some pontifical damnation.

But the seeds sown by the sexual revolution continue to bear unanticipated fruit among older Americans.

- PO

Nothing like adding a religious overtone to make something seem credible when it's not.


The Rockhouse thought there might be something interesting in this and not simply for some titillating tidbit but perhaps it would give up some real sociology but this is bloody rubbish which only affirms the general premise:  if you see any science from Utah, fucking leave it there.

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