Thursday, November 23, 2000
Sex in the city: single and married
Londoners tell all
A story published today in the London Evening Standard provides readers with a collection
of short interviews with a wide variety Londonders -- both married and single -- who
disclose the details of their sex lives.
Although sex is generally private because it is usually
performed behind closed doors, the story says that everybody jokes about it, or lies and
exaggerates.
The story points out that, except for the most basic classifications - straight or gay,
co-habiting or single - the chances are you won't know the first thing about the sexual
habits of the person sitting next to you in the office. You won't know whether, on a
Friday night, your married best friend is swinging from the designer rafters or watching
Frasier on TV.
Londoners' sexual appetites and habits are quite varied, but it's hard to get anyone to
talk about them openly. In fearless, pioneering spirit, the paper asked 11 brave and
candid Londoners some very personal questions. Film stars, fantasy, f***ing and Fulham -
all sexual life is disclosed.
The story changed names, and in some cases occupations, to protect the bedroom secrets of
the people interviewed. What may surprise you, given that we're all supposed to be
exhausted, over-stressed, over-worked and therefore under-sexed, is quite how often many
of our interviewees are having sex.
Among those interviewed are:
The long term married mother
The co-habiting male
The celibate
The newly married woman
The long-term gay relationship
The single man
The sex addict
The long-term lesbian relationship
The previously promiscuous
The bisexual
The gay single man
To read the full story, and for links to each of the interviews, click
here.
Wednesday, November 22, 2000
British study says unwed parents 'more
likely to split'
A story published today by the BBC News says that according to a seven-year survey of
10,000 people, found that many more British children are being born to parents who are
cohabiting, greatly increasing the risk that they will end up in single parent families.
The study, by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, suggests that marriage
provides a more stable environment for children.
It found 70% of children born to a married couple will live all their childhoods until
they are 16 with both natural parents.
Children born to unmarried co-habiting couples only have a 36% chance of living with both
parents until they are 16. As a result, they are more likely to spend part of their
childhood with one parent.
Robert Whelan, director of Family and Youth Concern, said the findings were no surprise.
"Co-habiting unions are inherently unstable and the problem is that
policy makers now fail to distinguish between marriage and co-habitation when drawing
policy and legislation," he said. "Children need to have stable lives and
be born within marriage."
National Family and Parenting Institute chief executive Mary MacLeod said that marriage
was a very important souce of stability within family life.
"Four out of five children still live in a family with two parents, and nine out of
10 of those parents are married. The majority of young people still say they want to
get married. However, if present divorce rates continue, married people will become a
minority in the adult population."
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