Sex (Got Your Attention, Didn't I?)

I very much enjoy reading the blog "It Is a Numeric Life," which always has some fascinating statistic or another to get you thinking about the world around us. The latest post, titled "Few comply with abstinence and monogamy," offers some interesting numbers concerning the overall rate of virginity on the 21st birthday (a measly 4%), and how many sexual partners we have: a woman's median number of sex partners is said to be 3.7, while a man's equivalent number is 6.8.

I guess this means there's some woman from my past out there thinking fondly of me as the 0.7 guy of her median number.

But, all kidding aside, these are some very thought-provoking numbers. Consider that the average man has (or claims to have) twice as many sex partners as the average woman. In a way, this makes sense: in any sexual encounter, the woman runs the greater risk of unintended consequences (i.e., pregnancy), and so one would think she is more likely to be selective of her partners, and to have fewer of them. A man, on the other hand, without the need to cope with the results of an unintended pregnancy, can afford to be more indiscriminate in his selection of partners.

This discussion also hearkens back to the subject of my April 16th post of this year ("Nice Guys"), which was in turn inspired by another "Numeric Life" post on the subject of how and why women choose nice guys ("dads") or bums ("cads") as sex partners - "dads" being those partners chosen for their perceived reliability as long-term partners in raising and caring for a family, and "cads" being those who may be less reliable for the long term, but are "more fun in bed."

The whole topic of sex is a fascinating one, and since it's sex that drives so much of our culture, from advertising to art to relationships, it's worth discussing and thinking seriously about. Doing is actually more fun, but at age 56, I guess I'll just settle for the discussing and thinking seriously part. And as actor and comedian Woody Allen once said, "Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best."

And when you're not thinking about sex, visit "It Is a Numeric Life" by clicking on the link in my recommended links list, and prepare to be presented with something thought-provoking each day.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo