With the US presidential election only days away, you might think that sex is the last thing on anyone’s mind. According to a new survey, whether or not that’s the case depends largely on where your political loyalties lie.
The results of SKYN’s 2020 Sex & Intimacy Survey (shared via email) found that 42 percent of Republicans reported having sex more than eight times per month, with only 35 percent of Democrats reporting the same. Interestingly enough, many of the survey’s other findings cater pretty well to political stereotypes.
Democrats seem to prefer cuddling, as 50 percent reported indulging in a good snuggle after sex every time. Democrats also seem to be more socially responsible when it comes to using protection; 62 percent of Democrats reported frequently using condoms, versus only 52 percent of Republicans. When it comes to faking orgasms and sleeping with an ex out of sheer spite, Republicans won the race. The one issue that seemed to bridge the partisan divide was favorite sex position, as both parties prefer doing it doggy style.
While the survey’s findings are obviously highly unscientific and not altogether surprising, they are interesting as we question just how many assumptions you can make about someone on the basis of their political affiliation. These days, it’s not uncommon for people to lose friends or family members because of their political opinions, and most of my liberal friends would rather die than go on a date with a Trump supporter. These findings indicate that perhaps there is indeed a link between political parties and expectations in the bedroom.
“Donald Trump has made a career of dehumanizing women and it makes sense that anyone who listens to him would think of women as there to fulfill male sexual needs rather than as people,” Wednesday Martin, PhD, a cultural anthropologist and the author of Untrue: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust, and Infidelity is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free, told me. “I think we can generalize that people who subscribe to retrograde beliefs about women in general have retrograde beliefs about sex. Trump followers would also be more likely to embrace the notion that cuddling is emasculating.”
Indeed, the survey reminded me that, as a Russian-American who has lived in America for over 25 years, I still find American “bro” culture somewhat bewildering, especially in regards to women. I’ve dated a lot of “macho” Russian guys, and while they may seem to be the same on the surface, there are some significant differences. All of them enjoyed a good snuggle, and they found the concept of “locker room talk” very confusing.
Also on rt.com Let’s face it, US politics is just a showy soap opera laced with enough nepotism and corruption to make a banana republic blush“In Russia, you’d never dream of talking about giving graphic details about the woman you’re sleeping with,” one Russian ex-boyfriend recently told me. “Your friend asks you if anything happened, you say yes, and then you go back to talking about the car engine.”
In fact, the entire idea of treating sex like it’s a game – in which the woman essentially loses and the man wins if it happens – has always felt like a distinctly American phenomenon to me.
“I can understand treating women like they’re a prize, but not like they’re a conquest,” my Russian ex said.
“The misogyny in the United States is very specific,” Martin said. “It’s so much worse than mete machismo. It’s like sex is an aggressive game that men win by getting women to have it.”
It’s very difficult to discuss topics like this without making broad generalizations, so I always encourage people to take it all with a grain of salt. I’m sure there are plenty of Democrats out there who are out the door immediately after ejaculating, and some Trump supporters who are keenly interested in pleasing their lady in bed. But they are interesting questions to consider, especially in light of a deepening political divide, and whatever madness November 3 will bring.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.