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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1981)
Portland Observer January 1. 1961 Pay« OSU studies explore middle-age “ T urnin g Points” and “ Sexual F u lfillm e n t” are the newest circulars about the middle years just published by the O rego n S tate University Extension Service. The first in the series “ In the M iddle Years” was published a few months ago. It is called “ Facing A dulthood.” “ Turning Points,” like “ Facing A d u lth o o d ,” was prepared by M a rc e lle S tra a tm a n , E xtension hum an developm ent specialist. “ Sexual F u lfillm e n t” was written by V ic k i S c h m a ll, E xtension gerontology specialist. . The circulars were prepared to help people understand the social, psychological and physical changes which occur as people move into and through the middle years, the specialist e x p la in , and to dispel some o f the stereotyped ideas and expectations m any people hold about this age bracket. The series is particularly timely, they believe, because the number o f people in the m id d le years is increasingly rapidly as the children o f the p o s t-W o rld W a r I I baby boom move into their middle aged years. “ T u rn in g P oin ts” stresses the role o f change in everyday life and notes th a t it can be used constructively or n ot, depending upon how the individual perceives his or her role in life. N ot all changes at m id -life are crises, points out Mrs. Straatman. For instance, m any couples welcome the d e p a rtu re o f th eir children from the family home. “ T u rn in g P oints have many sources. Some begin internally as when new aspirations take hold and promote action. Others come from external sources such as a special event, people or changing roles. A lm o st everyone finds tu rn in g points d iffic u lt as we fear the d is c o m fo rt change b rin g s ,” she explains. Modern young people and adults arc realizing they have many choices and are making life events less age- related and m ore related to individual tim ing and need, M rs. S traatm an believes. T he m iddle years a llo w people to exercise greater thought and control over their destinies. For many the middle years may be their first opportunity to manage th e ir own lives. M o re o fte n the shifting o f priorities leads to greater satisfactio n a fte r the tra u m a o f change subsides, the specialist points out. “ Sexual F u lfillm e n t” explores facts and fallacies about m id -life sexuality, common sexual changes and their psychological and social im p a c t, and how a p erso n ’ s a ttitu d e s , health and life circum stances a ffe c t sexual response. “ The meaning o f sex in mid and la te r-life is o ften d iffe re n t fr6 m youth when physical stim u latio n and excitem ent may have been p rim a ry ,” explains M s. Schmall^ “ W ith age, the em o tio n a l component - intimacy, the sharing o f feelings and being close to another person - generally assumes greater importance.” She notes that although middle- aged and o ld er persons have different levels o f sexual interest, “ there is no specific age at which all sexual activity ends. People who enjoy sex in early adulthood tend to continue to be sexually active.” The gerontologist emphasizes that barriers to sexual activity in mid-life are generally psychological and not physical. She cites embarassment about sex, tension, work and family pressures and m ental fatigue are some o f the barriers. T he b u lle tin discusses such physiosexual changes as menopause in women and the slowing o f sexual response in m en, p rostate gland problems and idlpotency. S exuality involves g iving and receiving tenderness, warm th, and attractive, and desired, the specialist notes. It involves open com m uni catio n between p a rtn e rs , good physical health and a willingness to work at keeping a relationship vital. Copies o f the new circulars, as w e ll as the e a rlie r “ Facing A d u lth o o d ,” are availab le from co un ty o ffic e s o f the O S U Extension Service. Single copies are free to Oregon residents. Checkbook Interest gives you more for your money. NOW Accounts at Checkbook Interest* at First other banks and National Bank. Savings & Loans. Jam es A very as Sizw e Bansi in the threatre production "S iz w e Bansi is D ead,'' w hich will be featured at the University of Portland Buckley Center A uditorium on January 24th and 25th. Textbooks teach discrimination (Continued from Page I Col 6) back to the 5 8 -70 level and the m ajor publishers are again under representing a significant portion o f the population in this country.” L u m p k in p oin ted out th at the racial m in o rity percentage refers prim arily to Blacks. “ P u erto R icans, M exican - A m ericans. N a tiv e A m erican s, A m ericans o f o rie n ta l descent -- th e y ’ re still either invisible or treated negatively,” she said. The educators did, however, find the percentage o f male characters in the latest textbooks have dropped from 61 percent in 1974-76 to 42 percent, and the study’ s remaining category, labeled “ other” increased from 7 to 31 percent. B ritto n explained the o th er category is d ivided in to tw o sec tions. One is for inanimate objects such as cities or vehicles, and other part is fo r those occasions when fem ales and males are treated equally. “ W e ’ re fin d in g less a ll-m a le stories, which is encouraging because they are not so fa r o ver represented. And we’ re seeing some stories showing both genders equally, which is great,” she said. “ But, overall, the major textbook publishers have not yet lived up to YES YES YES MAYBE YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO their own guidelines,” B ritton ad ded. “ Those guidelines, published in the middle 70s by the publishers themselves, said they were aware o f biases in their textbooks and they would take action to correct them. But that is still not a reality.” L u m p k in and B ritto n said the reason textbooks are not improving, “ not reflecting the times we live in ,” is simple: money. “ I f you check the copyright dates on individual stories in the new text books, you’ll find many were w rit ten in the late 50s and early 60s,” said L u m p k in . “ O ld er stories are less expensive to buy and that’s why publishers use them. I t ’s business. “ But publishers, school districts and taxpayers should realize that it is not good business to put groups down, to limit their aspirations, to p erpetuate the racial and sexual ghettoization o f intellect,” she said. “ The best business, the most ef fective mission o f schools, is to help every student aspire and accom plish. I t ’ s estimated that 80 percent o f school time is used working with textbooks. As school budgets are cut, that time is going to increase because there will be more reliance on books and less reliance on sup plem en tary m ate ria ls . 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