Asexuals negotiate the ‘onslaught of the heteronormative’

Vares, Tiina

doi:10.1177/1363460721993389

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Perhaps one of the most obvious potential social benefits that accompanies being involved in a romantic relationship is partnered sexual activity. Not all singles are interested in sex (e.g., people who identify as asexual; Vares, 2022 ), but a significant portion of singles are sexually active and/or seeking sexual opportunities ( Gray et al, 2019 ). Although married individuals report believing that single people are having more sex than are married people ( Gesselman et al, 2019 , N = 6,576), the data suggest the opposite: People in committed romantic relationships have sex more frequently and are more sexually satisfied than single individuals ( Anticˇević et al, 2017 , N = 632; Kislev, 2020a , N = 3,500; Park & MacDonald, 2022b , N = 1,238).…”

Section: A Within-group Perspective On Singlehoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping or Thriving? Reviewing Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Societal Factors Associated With Well-Being in Singlehood From a Within-Group Perspective

Girme

Park

MacDonald

2022

Perspect Psychol Sci

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Singlehood, defined as not being in a romantic relationship, is becoming increasingly common worldwide. Despite this, research on singlehood has not received remotely equivalent research attention as romantic relationships. Well-being research that has explicitly included singles has focused on whether coupled versus single people are more satisfied with their lives. However, these between-group comparisons have not attended to within-group variability among singles that can point to when and for whom singlehood is associated with thriving. In this review, we document findings from the emerging field of singlehood studies to highlight what is and is not known about factors that are associated with the well-being of single individuals from a within-group perspective. Our review examines (a) intrapersonal factors (characteristics of the individual), (b) interpersonal experiences (qualities of one’s social relationships and experiences), and (c) societal influences (features related to one’s broader social or cultural context) related to well-being in singlehood. We conclude by offering future directions for the conceptualization of and research on singlehood with the goal of promoting a thorough and inclusive perspective.

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Section: A Within-group Perspective On Singlehoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping or Thriving? Reviewing Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Societal Factors Associated With Well-Being in Singlehood From a Within-Group Perspective

Girme

Park

MacDonald

2022

Perspect Psychol Sci

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“…Often, the partnered sex seems painful physically and mentally for them. Sex-positive asexuals are left with negative feelings of sadness, anger and disgust for putting themselves through acts that they were not enjoying or even comfortable with (Vares, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

"Sex Without Sexual Attraction?": Perceived Sexual Experiences of Indian Sex-positive Asexuals

Agrawal

Shainy

Sebastian

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Amidst the vast majority of literature that either quantify the extent to which one identifies to be asexual or creates an atomistic perspective of the asexual spectrum which reiterates the false notion that all asexuals are aversive to sex, the current qualitative inquiry aimed to describe the sexual experiences of sex-positive asexuals who are rarely mentioned in academia. Fifteen Indian sex-positive asexuals who have engaged in either self-pleasure or partnered sex, and even both, were recruited for the study. The individual semi-structured interviews that captured their perceptions of their own sexual experiences were thematically analysed to cover the same important phenomena. The experiences associated with developing own identity in terms of sexual activity included self-exploration helping in self-acceptance, feeling of being different and a preference of the type of sexual activities. The participants also reported how their preconceptions about sex based on media and peer engagement differed from what it really was. Emotional experiences during self-pleasure and partnered sex were found to be radically different for most of the participants. Recognising why self-pleasure is important to them and the impacts they believe it had, were commonly observed. It was also found that the participants had a clear understanding of their own roles and the extent of efforts to be put into self-pleasure activities and partnered sex. During the normal human experience of physiological arousal, which is purely based on non-sexual factors about the partner or a potential one, they resort to indulging in sex with them or pleasuring themselves. A dichotomy in terms of the intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for why they indulged in self-pleasure or partnered sex was observed. The results of the study are pivotal in developing inclusive practises, sex education and community awareness about this particular community and, most importantly, enabling representation of their experiences within the academia about sex and sexuality.

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“…Asexuality studies has also produced concepts like compulsory sexuality 4 of 14 -WINER (Emens, 2014;Gupta, 2015;Przybylo, 2019), highlighting that the idea that all humans do and should experience sexual attraction is a ubiquitous-but under-acknowledged-building block of sexual normativity and sexual regulation. Moreover, given that compulsory sexuality can marginalize asexual individuals both in heteronormative (Vares, 2022) and queer spaces, asexuality studies also can help scholars examine how sexual normativity and regulation can operate in queer spaces as well as heteronormative ones.…”

Section: Asexual Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding asexuality: A sociological review

Winer

2024

Sociology Compass

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Asexuality, a sexual identity that refers to those who experience low/no sexual attraction, has garnered increasing attention in recent years, yet its sociological exploration remains relatively nascent. This review article examines the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of asexuality studies through a sociological lens, examining asexual studies' conceptualizations, theoretical frameworks, and empirical contributions. First, I review how asexuality is defined and conceptualized in existing literature, highlighting diverse understandings and complexities surrounding this sexual orientation. I analyze the various conceptualizations of asexuality, ranging from the absence of sexual attraction to conceptualizations that emphasize the fluidity and spectrum of asexual identities. Next, I identify the subfields in sociology where asexuality studies is making or has the potential to make theoretical and empirical interventions. I examine how asexuality intersects with broader sociological themes such as gender, sexuality, identity, the family, intimacy, relationships, stigma, and community. Drawing on existing research, I examine how asexuality challenges normative assumptions about sexuality and how it contributes to ongoing conversations within sociology. Finally, I offer recommendations for how sociologists can approach the study of asexuality. I advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological pluralism, and intersectional analyses to capture the complexity and diversity of asexual experiences. Moreover, I emphasize the importance of centering asexual voices and perspectives in research, while also acknowledging the ethical considerations and challenges inherent in studying a marginalized and often misunderstood sexual orientation. Overall, this review provides a scoping overview of the sociology of asexuality, offering insights into its conceptualizations, theoretical implications, and avenues for future research.

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Asexuals negotiate the ‘onslaught of the heteronormative’

Cited by 11 publications

References 44 publications

Coping or Thriving? Reviewing Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Societal Factors Associated With Well-Being in Singlehood From a Within-Group Perspective

Coping or Thriving? Reviewing Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Societal Factors Associated With Well-Being in Singlehood From a Within-Group Perspective

"Sex Without Sexual Attraction?": Perceived Sexual Experiences of Indian Sex-positive Asexuals

Understanding asexuality: A sociological review

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