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Female sexuality and historical time: A comparison of sexual biographies of German women born between 1895 and 1936

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Abstract

Ninety-one German women ages 50 to 91 years (birth cohorts: 1895 to 1936) were interviewed in-depth about their sexual development through the life span. This article presents the results on the historical change in female sexuality during childhood, puberty, and young marriage. The sample was divided into four subgroups, according to the year of birth, which were compared to each other. In contrast to the older groups, a higher percentage of women in the younger cohorts had experience in childhood sexual play, masturbation, “real” and faked orgasm, with historical time only having a slight influence on marital sexuality and fertility experiences. Data indicate that subjects born later were not only more experienced sexually but changed intraindividually more often in sexual matters, whereas the older women mostly “conserved” the sexual morals and habits learned in youth. Subjective sexual experience of the interviewees is illustrated by quotations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Friedrichstrasse 33, D-35385, Gießen, Germany

    Kirsten von Sydow Dr. phil.

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  1. Kirsten von Sydow Dr. phil.
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von Sydow, K. Female sexuality and historical time: A comparison of sexual biographies of German women born between 1895 and 1936. Arch Sex Behav 25, 473–493 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02437543

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