Involuntary Celibacy

Pg. 262-270

Reading Review #3

In this article, a number of authors (which include Denise Donnelly, Elisabeth Burgess, Sally Anderson, Regina Davis, and Joy Dillard) discuss the aspects of involuntary celibacy. In this research, an involuntary celibate is defined as "one who desires to have sex, but has been unable to find a willing partner for at least six months prior to being surveyed" (p. 262). Also within this research, the respondents fell into three categories: virginal celibates, single celibates, and partnered celibates. These categories help to get a better perspective of the experiences that these involuntary celibates have been through. This article helps others with understanding the lives and circumstances of involuntary celibates through a "life course perspective" (p. 263). The research in this article gives a good overview of some major reasons people become involuntarily celibate. Understanding the reasons why individuals may become or potentially stay involuntarily celibate can help with determining ways to revitalize one's sex life if they choose to do so. The researchers were actually able to gain information about this issue from participants who define themselves as involuntarily celibate and want to find comfort. Throughout this research, the involuntary celibate is given a voice, whereas most celibacy research is usually focuses upon people who are celibate by choice.

A major strength of this article is the usage of personal stories to help elaborate upon the information provided from the research and surveys. By doing this readers are able to become more personalized with the lives of these involuntary celibates. When one can get a look inside the life of another it just helps with understanding what someone may be going through. The personal stories within this article really shed light on the reasons why some involuntary celibates are unable to find appropriate partners. For example, a virgin female in the 18-24 age group reported that where she is currently living there are not a lot of extracurricular activities and most of the people she meets are older and already married. It is easy to see that her virginity could possibly be nonexistent if she could find the right partner. It is not always the case that something is wrong with the involuntary celibate, sometimes people are just victims of their circumstances. Another virgin who is a male in the 25-34 age group noted that he was celibate (involuntary of course) due to "lack of social circle through which to meet women--working in a primarily male environment" (p. 267). This is yet another example of a personal story being used to further explore the reasons behind why people are involuntarily celibate.

Although the personal stories did strengthen this article, a weakness is that the stories and research only focus on Western societies and cultures. A broader perspective of a topic such as involuntary celibacy can help readers to see how the different aspects of life, such as geographic location, culture, and family life can affect people with a similar problem in very different ways. This article could have been stronger if data from people of cultures other than the Western were used because we live in such a diverse society. The article could have reached a broader base of people and could have potentially helped others who may be dealing with involuntary celibacy. People can sometimes feel better about their situations if they know that they are not in it alone. By not acknowledging that a more diverse group of people may be dealing with this issue shuts others out who may be crying out for help.

Throughout this article, sex being socially constructed