The Sexual Organization of The City

Browse Return to Previous Page       Related Subjects All Subjects Chicago Gender & Sexuality Political Science/Sociology

Edited by Edward O. Laumann, Stephen Ellingson, Jenna Mahay, Anthony Paik Yoosik Youm, Editor

University of Chicago Press

Due/Published February 2004, 344 pages, cloth

ISBN 0226470318

In The Sexual Organization of the City, Edward Laumann and the coeditors of this book argue that the idea of the city as a place where "anything goes"--where you can have any kind of sex you want, with whomever you like, anytime or anywhere you choose-- is a myth. Drawing on extensive surveys and interviews with Chicago adults, they show that the city is--to the contrary--a place where sexual choices and options are constrained. From Wicker Park and Boys Town to the South Side and Pilsen, they observe that sexual behavior and partnering are significantly limited by such factors as which neighborhood you live in, your ethnicity, what your sexual preference might be, or the circle of friends to which you belong. In other words, the social and institutional networks that city dwellers occupy potentially limit their sexual options by making different types of sexual activities, relationships, or meeting places less accessible.

To explain this idea of sex in the city, the editors of this work develop a theory of sexual marketplaces--the places where people look for sexual partners. They then use this theory to consider a variety of questions about sexuality: Why do sexual partnerships rarely cross racial and ethnic lines, even in neighborhoods where relatively few same-ethnicity partners are available? Why do gay men and lesbians have few public meeting spots in some neighborhoods, but a wide variety in others? Why are African Americans less likely to marry than whites? Does having a lot of friends make you less likely to get a sexually transmitted disease? And why do public health campaigns promoting safe sex seem to change the behaviors of some, but not others?

Considering vital questions such as these, and shedding new light on the city of Chicago, this work promises to recast our ideas about human sexual behavior. 

Review

The contributors to The Sexual Organization of the City present an extensive analysis of sexual life in four different Chicago neighborhoods. In researching and interviewing residents in these distinct ethnic and socio-economic neighborhoods, the contributors reveal the ways in which social and familial pressures constrain sexual activity. To a certain extent, the neighborhood you live in, your social network, and your ethnicity determines your opportunities for sexual and romantic relationships. In assessing their data, the contributors developed the concept of “sexual marketplaces” as a way to understand what options are available to individuals. Thus, they examine the relatively limited romantic opportunities for gays and lesbians in predominantly African-American or Latino communities due to lingering prejudices. The contributors also consider the reasons behind the lack of interracial relationships, why African Americans are less likely to marry than whites, the incidence of domestic violence, the relative effectiveness of public health campaigns in different neighborhoods, and much more. While the contributors discovered a range of social and community pressures, they also found that traditional or institutional constraints regarding sexuality have their limits. The editors write, “the world of urban sexuality that we uncovered in Chicago does not resemble Foucault’s world of strong institutional control over sexuality. Chicago’s organizational actors, in general, do not exercise extensive or authoritative power. Instead, they exercise intensive, partial power (i.e., local and group specific) to constrain or channel sexuality. Individuals are largely disembedded or disinvested from most traditional institutions that operate as complex organizations, but . . . are selectively embedded in institutional dimensions of sex markets.” The editors of The Sexual Organization of the City have provided a rich array of data and analysis in an invaluable look at sexuality in contemporary America.