Dr. Sarah Hill, a psychologist at Texas Christian University, highlights a trend of declining sexual activity among college students, with more graduating as virgins. She attributes this to factors like gender imbalances in college enrollment, where women significantly outnumber men, making it harder for women to find partners of similar educational attainment. Additionally, hormonal birth control is noted to dampen women's libido by altering hormone levels. This trend is supported by data from UCLA and other studies showing increased sexual inactivity among young adults.
Kaija Saariaho, a Finnish composer known for bringing new and mysterious colors to classical music, has died at the age of 70. She was the first woman to have more than one work staged by the Metropolitan Opera and was a pioneer in using electronics in classical music. Her first opera, "L'Amour de Loin," won the Grawemeyer Award for music composition, and her most recent work, "Innocence," will travel to the Met in the 2025-26 season. Saariaho was a trailblazer in a male-dominated field and helped to correct the gender imbalance in classical music.
As China faces a shrinking population, officials are cracking down on the ancient tradition of betrothal gifts to try to promote marriages, which have been on the decline. Known in Mandarin as caili, the payments have skyrocketed across the country in recent years, making marriage increasingly unaffordable. The tradition has been met with growing public resistance as attitudes have shifted. Among more educated Chinese, particularly in cities, many are likely to see it as a patriarchal relic that treats women as property being sold to another household.
Photographer Andrea Gjestvang's new book, "Atlantic Cowboy," depicts the harsh and remote conditions of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing nation in the Kingdom of Denmark. The book features portraits of the islands' unmarried men, who are shown performing physically demanding jobs traditionally taken by men. The Faroe Islands have a significant gender imbalance, with just 48.2% of the population being female, posing significant societal implications. The government has invested in gender equality and employment initiatives to make the islands more appealing to women. The book also explores the Faroese identity, which celebrates virtues of strength and fortitude, particularly in men.
