Definition

Noun: 1. Morality with respect to sexual relations: The set of principles, standards, or judgments concerning what is considered right, acceptable, or virtuous behavior in the context of sexual activity and relationships within a given society, culture, or belief system.

Usage

• This term is used to discuss the ethical codes, social norms, or religious doctrines that govern sexual behavior.
• It is often examined in discussions of cultural differences, historical change, law, religion, and personal ethics.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The community's strict sexual morality forbade relationships outside of marriage.
  • Debates about sexual morality often involve conflicting views on personal freedom and social tradition.
  • Changes in sexual morality over the decades have been reflected in new laws and social attitudes.

Advanced Usage

• "A code of sexual morality": A formalized set of rules governing sexual conduct.
  • The religious text outlines a detailed code of sexual morality for its followers.
• "Prevailing sexual morality": The sexual moral standards that are dominant or widely accepted in a society at a particular time.
  • The novel challenged the prevailing sexual morality of the Victorian era.

Variants and Related Words

• Morality (n): Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. (This is the broader category to which belongs).
• Chastity (n): The state or practice of refraining from extramarital, or especially from all, sexual intercourse. (This is a specific virtue often associated with certain codes of sexual morality).
• Puritanical (adj): Practicing or affecting strict religious or moral behavior, especially regarding sexual matters. (This describes an attitude related to strict sexual morality).

Synonyms

• Sexual ethics: The philosophical study of sexuality and human sexual conduct from a moral perspective.
• Sexual norms: The accepted standards of sexual behavior within a social group.

Related Phrases

• Double standard of sexual morality: A rule or principle applied more strictly to one group (traditionally women) than another.
  • The double standard of sexual morality condemned women for behaviors tolerated in men.

Notes

• The concept of sexual morality is distinct from legal statutes, although the two can overlap. Something may be considered morally wrong within a code of sexual morality but not be illegal, and vice-versa.
• Discussions of this term frequently involve contrasting perspectives, such as traditional vs. progressive, or religious vs. secular.

Noun

1. morality with respect to sexual relations