Introduction

People worldwide engage in sex. While sexuality may be universal, the expression of sexuality is not. What might be considered creative and imaginative lovemaking in one culture may be viewed as immoral or sordid in another. Conversely, what is regarded as “problematic” sexual functioning may be normative in a different cultural context. For confirmation of this cultural variability we need look no further than to reactions to same-sex unions, requirements regarding premarital chastity, and variations in the importance placed on female sexual pleasure, marital fidelity, and attitudes toward recreational versus procreative sex.