CONFERENCE: MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY IN POST-MODERN TIMES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35919/rbsh.v16i1.491Keywords:
Couple, Attraction, Sex, Work, BondsAbstract
Couples, as well as the individuals and the sexuality that constitute them, are exposed to ideological influences of the socio-historical moment. However, all individuals, regardless of time or culture, face the issue of separation and seek to bond with each other in an effort to transcend solitude. This paper has thus attempted to focus on the issues of interpersonal attraction and the main changes taken place over the past fifty years, which have exerted a direct or indirect on couple relationships. To that effect, two basic ideological cornerstones were highlighted: the first is the concept of sex-reproduction, changed into sex-for-pleasure made possible by contraception, generating greater freedom. Secondly, the concept of working outside the house, a former male responsibility or prerogative and now also a part of women's reality. Such processes have deeply shaken the structure of the classic family and demanded several gender-role alterations. Likewise, new patterns of interaction stemming from the urgent demands of modern life have brought about a host of different commitments for both individuals in the couple, promoting new conflicts, a substantial degree of anxiety, relativisms, uncertainties and frail bonds.