Literature Review # 3 "Alternative Lifestyles Revisited, or Whatever Happened to Swingers, Group Marriages, and Communes?"

Rubin, Roger. "Alternative Lifestyles Revisited, or Whatever Happened to Swingers, Group Marriages, and Communes?." Journal of Family Issues, 22.6 (2001): 711-727.
The article "Alternative Lifestyles Revisited, or Whatever Happened to Swingers, Group Marriages, and Communes?" by Roger H. Rubin discusses the research and media popularity of the "alternative lifestyle" of the late 1960s-1990s. The article notes that media in the late 1960s-1970s referred to swinging as an "alternative lifestyle" because it was a relationship that was different compared to traditional monogamous relationship. The article declares that the "alternative lifestyle" was researched more frequently in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and that there was a high demand for literature that discussed the swinging lifestyle. Once the 1980s began, it was believed that the swinging lifestyle significantly declined if not, vanished because people feared AIDS and did not want to participate in sexual activity with different partners. The media then decided to shy away from the swinging phenomenon, and began focusing on families that were led by single parents, dual partner working families, and cohabitation. Another belief on the reason why the swinging lifestyle was not researched as much in the 1980s-1990s is due to the shortages of funds for the research. However, a New York Times Magazine article on swinging included an interview of Robert McGinley, president of the North American Swing Club Association, reported that the swinging group has increased from 150 to 310 affiliates within the past 5 years. McGinley claimed swinging had become highly organized and institutionalized. He believes swinging actually strengthens marriages, but had received a bad reputation from the past during the 1960s and 1970s. According to Gould and Zabol (1998) there are about 3 million married, middle aged, middle class swingers of lifestyle practitioners. This is an increase of almost 1 million since 1990. The advances in communication, such as the Internet also contributes to the increase in swinging. In the 1970s, 75% of the swingers found each other through swingers' magazines (Gilmartin, 1977). Today the Internet may have replaced magazines in linking potential participants to one another. It is also found that in today's community, families deny their participation of sexual mate swapping, which affects research results. Therefore, the swinging lifestyle never did decline during the period of 1980s-1990s, but continued to flourish, and continues to flourish during present times.

-VLopez