Casualties of Casual Sex

This article that I found on the BBC has got me thinking about something that I feel for personally - casual sex. From the BBC: Sexes split over one night stands:

Many women are left unhappy in the aftermath of casual sexual encounters, a survey has revealed.

Just under half of women who answered the internet poll, published in the journal "Human Nature", said they felt it had been a bad idea.

Four out of five men, in contrast, said they were happy with a brief fling.

The academic leading the research said it showed that there was no evolutionary advantage for women in one night stands.

The survey was answered by 1,700 people who had all experienced this kind of relationship.

While men reported feeling more content, sexually satisfied and confident after meaningless sex, women were more likely to worry about feeling used and "letting themselves down".

Some of the their reasons for the encounters were because they felt there was the possibility of a longer term relationship.

This article simply provides proof for my theory that not all women like casual sex. Recent social movements have promoted casual sex as a lifestyle of choice that is preferred by strong, modern women because it provides sexual and emotional freedom. Shows like Sex & the City have made it popular and trendy to have casual sex. While it is true that it provides sexual and emotional freedom to some, it's not for everybody, and I feel that some women are feeling pressured to conform because they feel that this is how they should be feeling.

Personally, I'm not a prude, but I can't separate sex and emotions. I've tried the casual sex thing and it doesn't do it for me. I do respect that other people feel differently, and it is what they prefer, and by no means do I mean to say that it's wrong. My worry is that there are kids growing up who think that casual sex is what they should be doing and what they should prefer, because when I was 18ish, that's what I thought.

Maybe it's time to pay equal respects to those who prefer longer-term relationships and lift the modern stigma associated with those who choose the "traditional woman's" way, of being sexually active with longer-term partners, of choosing to be a housewife, and of wanting kids.