Evolution Of Swinging

The word "swinger" or "swinging" has had different meanings over the years. Today, the most common definition of the word refers to those people who engage in sexual activity with others in the "lifestyle."


Wikipedia defines "swinging" as "a non-monogamous behavior, in which partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities (sometimes referred to as recreational social sex) with other people. "

One can trace the origins of swinging through a historical prism as the mores in the U.S. changed slowly and then dramatically to what it is today. The term has also morphed into "swinging" from such early terms as "key parties" and "wife swappers."

Some say that the origins of swinging in the United States can be traced back to the 50s according to Terry Gould's "The Lifestyle: A Look at the Erotic Rites of Swingers" According to the author, swinging began among U.S. Air Force pilots and their wives during World War II. In this small community, the mortality rate among pilots was significantly high. Gould reports that a close bond between pilots arose, with the implication that the husbands would protect and care for all the wives as their own, both emotionally and sexually, if the husbands were away or lost.

The best example of the swinging 70s was embodied in the movie "The Ice Storm" in which there is a scene where a couple played by Kevin Kline and Joan Allen attend a neighborhood party, which turns out to be a swinger's key party in which all the husbands toss their keys into a bowl. The women at the end of the evening will each pick a set of keys, going home with whomever's keys they've chosen.

The 80s also saw the concerns with AIDS but there was still a dramatic increase in "swinging" in the press and on television and cable as swing clubs and house parties became popular. It is safe to say that "swinging" has now become mainstream.

Although swinging is legal in most countries, we do see such repressive societies as China who deal harshly with swingers. In May 2010, a 53-year-old Chinese computer science professor, was jailed for three and a half years after being found guilty of arranging swingers parties.

It is not clear how many swingers there are in United States but an ABC report on the lifestyle several years ago estimated the number at four million.