Sex Researchers:

Ira Reiss, Ph.D. is a retired sociology professor at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. As a prominent sexuality researcher, his career spanned over 40 years, from the mid-1950's until his retirement in 1997. He was born in 1925 and grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania during the Depression. Prostitution was a booming business. Many pleasure seeking individuals in those hard times found sex to be an easily acquired commodity. It was during this time that Reiss, who was still a child, became aware of the impact that sexuality had on human behavior in general. He was, even as a young child, on the front lines of the prostitution business. It was going on right in his own neighborhood, and he was well aware of the comings and goings of the people involved. At the time, as is still true, there was a conflict in the moral and religious aspect of sexual promiscuity, as well as an issue of gender equality and the perceived abuse of male power, which was becoming a prominent political issue at that time (Reiss and Ellis, 2001). Having been heavily influenced by a mother who was a staunch supporter of societal reform on many levels, in regard to inequities and injustices, and a paternal grandmother who was an Orthodox Jew who championed women's equality in her religion, Reiss was very aware of how women and men were viewed very differently in general, and sexually, in particular. Because of these strong women, who stood steadfast in their beliefs, Reiss learned very early on that there was a deeper meaning, emotionally, intellectually, and psychologically, to how humans acted and what they believed, than was normally understood. This is the way of thinking and believing that took Reiss on his journey into the burgeoning field of sexuality research (Reiss and Ellis, 2001). Some of Reiss' ideas on sexuality are as follows: He believed that casual sex was an appropriate and normal behavior for achieving pleasure, as long as it was practiced safely to avoid unwanted pregnancy and disease, although he did support the idea of affectionate sex being contained within marriage. Reiss rejected the double standard imposed on men and women in the acknowledgment of their sexuality and the pleasure attached to it. He believed that abstinence was not the answer, nor was it realistic, in neither men nor women. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Reiss did not condemn premarital sex. He believed that virginity was an emotional/spiritual concept, and that each time humans had a new sexual experience, it brought feelings of freshness/"virginity." He acknowledged the cultural and social disparity in beliefs, feelings, and actions in regard to sexuality, based on his personal experience in his life and times. He took a sociological approach to sexuality, rather than a biological approach (Reiss and Ellis, 2001). Reiss was driven by controversy, and the study of sexuality was a veritable intellectual feast for him as he studied and began his career. He ruffled more than a few feathers along the way by broaching taboo subjects and offering pioneering insight through his research and papers (Reiss and Ellis, 2001). He played a big part in the sexual revolution of the 60's, and he brought much attention to gender inequality in sexuality (Jennings, 2003). Some of Reiss' works include (among several others): The Double Standard in Premarital Sexual Intercourse: A Neglected Concept (1956), Toward a Sociology of the Heterosexual Love Relationship (1960), The Relative Social and Cultural Integration of American Standards (1960), Premarital Sexual Permissiveness among Negroes and Whites (1964), Social Class and Campus Dating (1965), The Sexual Renaissance: A Summary and Analysis (1966), How and Why America's Sex Standards are Changing (1968), Premarital Coitus and Marital Happiness (1970), Heterosexual Relationships: Inside and Outside of Marriage (1973), Adoloscent Sexuality (1976), Changing Sexual Mores (1977), Metatheory and Diagramming Conventions (1979), Contemporary Theories About the Family (1979), Sexual Customs and Gender Roles in Sweden and America: An Analysis and Interpretation (1980), Some Observations on Ideology and Sexuality in America (1981), A Sociological Journey Into Sexuality (1986), An End to Shame: Shaping our Next Sexual Revolution (1991), Sexual Pluralism: Ending America's Sexual Crisis (1992), Making a Living in Sex: An Autobiographical Account (1997) (Magnus Hirschfeld Archives for Sexology, n.d.). These publications are noted as a partial history and timeline of the course of Reiss' work.

References

Jennings, G. H. (2003, November). Two unique perspectives on the sexual revolution [Electronic version]. Journal of Sex Research. Retrieved September 10, 2004 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_4_40/ai_112247860

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology (n.d.). Reiss: Publications. Retrieved September 8, 2004 from Board/Reiss_Publications http://www2.huberlin.de/sexology/Entrance_Page/About_Us/Advisory_

Reiss, I. L., & Ellis, A. (2002). The autobiography of a sex researcher. In At the dawn of the sexual revolution: Reflections on a dialogue. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.