Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction to the history, the context, and some of the key terms and issues regarding sexuality and sex and gender. In this chapter the authors:
Define and describe the distinction between "sex" and gender."
Discuss the history of sexual information and study, including important contributions made in the late 1800s and early 1900s by Sigmund Freud, Havelock Ellis, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, and Magnus Hirschfeld.
Discuss studies involving various human cultures around the world and within different groups in the United States, and the fact that these studies provide evidence of the variations in human sexual behavior and beliefs. For example, within the United States, sexual behavior varies with social class and ethnic group.
Compare the findings from studies of sexual behavior in various animal species with what we know of human sexual behavior.
