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A sexual network is a social network that is defined by the sexual relationships between a set of individuals.
Sexual networks can be formally studied using the mathematics of graph theory.
Recent epidemiological studies have investigated sexual networks, and discovered that the properties of sexual networks are crucial to the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases. In particular, assortative mixing between people with large numbers of sexual partners seems to be an important factor.
In a suprising result, mathematical models predict that the sexual network graph for the entire human race appears to have a single giant component that indirectly links almost all people who have had more than one sexual partner, and a great many of those who have had only one sexual partner (if their one sexual partner was themselves part of the giant component). Most people who are not part of the giant component are either virgins, or couples who have never had sex with anyone except each other.
For serious epidemiological work, the time sequence of sexual contacts is important; for example, it is impossible to catch a disease from someone who caught it after you have ceased to have sex with them, or after they have been completely and effectively treated in such a way as to entirely remove the causative agent of the disease.
See also
References
- Kretzschmar, Mirjam. "Sexual network structure and sexually transmitted disease prevention: a modeling perspective". Sexually Transmitted Diseases volume 27, number 10 (November 2000): pages 627–35.
- How Sexually connected are the Swedes? (http://www.sociology.su.se/seminarier/tisdagssem/bilaga_liljeros2.pdf) (Adobe .pdf format)
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