Life

5 Sex Issues Men And Women Disagree On

by Laken Howard

Times are a-changin': According to a new poll, more Americans are accepting of a variety of sexual behaviors and practices than ever before. Gallup randomly sampled 1,024 people over age 18 for a "Values and Beliefs" poll that measured Americans' opinions on what practices they deemed "morally acceptable," and the results are pretty damn interesting. From porn to polygamy, both men and women are more open to certain sexual behaviors than they have been in the past, but there are still significant differences in the sexes' attitudes.

It's no shock that, in 2015, people are getting more liberal when it comes to sex—whether it's being chill with casual sex, or the awesome increase in acceptance of LGBT marriage, Americans seem to be on the path to happy, healthy, and open sex lives. These shifts in societal viewpoints show a promising trend that can only lead to yet more tolerance, which is never a bad thing, IMHO. The world would be a happier place if everyone felt comfortable talking about sex and relationships, and this latest poll is yet more evidence that we're on the path to widespread acceptance of everyone's kinks and sex habits.

Here are five issues that American men and women don't totally see eye-to-eye on — it's fine though, because life is a little more fun with some friendly disagreement between the sexes, right?

1. Porn

Unsurprisingly, men are more accepting of adult films than women, even though plenty of women love to watch porn. The poll found that 43 percent of men surveyed deemed porn morally acceptable, while only 25 percent of women agreed. Perhaps they weren't being honest, but I'm shocked that more people don't admit to enjoying the awesomeness that is porn. What's immoral about seeing people naked? Have you even seen a Renaissance painting? Naked bodies are art, guys!

2. Adultery

When asked their thoughts on extramarital affairs, thankfully only 12 percent of men and 5 percent of women said this behavior was okay. IMHO, those numbers are still way too high, but it's comforting that nowhere near a majority of people would stoop so low as to cheat on their husband/wife. Every situation is different and to each their own, of course, but cheating can still hurt. (It's worth nothing that these stats only apply to married couples and don't reflect views about cheating in non-married couples.)

3. Polygamy

While non-traditional relationship structures have been gaining popularity lately (or are at least more widely talked about), only 20 percent of men and 13 percent of women surveyed said they thought polygamy was morally acceptable. Nevertheless, these numbers show a significant increase from 2001, when only 7 percent of Americans thought polygamy was okay.

4. Premarital Sex

Similar to the recent upswing in acceptance of casual sex, 70 percent of men and 66 percent of women feel that having sex without a ring on your finger is a-okay. Which is probably for the best, since less and less Millennials are getting married nowadays.

5. LGBT Relationships

According to this poll, 59 percent of men and 66 percent of women are cool with "gay or lesbian relations." If it were up to me, it'd be 100 percent, but hey, a majority for both sexes is a huge step in the right direction. Hooray for gay!

Want more of Bustle's Sex and Relationships coverage? Check out our new podcast, I Want It That Way, which delves into the difficult and downright dirty parts of a relationship, and find more on our Soundcloud page.

Images: mark sebastian/Flickr; Giphy (5)