Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality Essay

According to Johnny Weir, â€Å"Masculinity is what you believe it to be... [it is] all by perception, [I believe] masculinity and femininity is something that is very old-fashioned... [there is a] whole new generation of people who aren’t defined by their race or their sex or who they like to sleep with.† This statement exemplifies the definition of gender as a concept; gender is the expectations of a sex according to the culture of society. Sexuality, within this definition of gender, reflects society’s expectations, which are created in relation to the opposite sex. The variances between cultures means that gender expectations change within different cultures. These expectations put pressure on each member of society to conform and abide by†¦show more content†¦A member of society assumes gender roles as soon as he or she is born. The socialization of individuals forces he or she to identify with a specific gender and does not allow for the reality th at gender is an emotional issue that exists on a continuum, and many feel they fit somewhere between the two rigid cultural definitions of gender. Often times a child is introduced to many forms of masculinity or femininity (Gottleib, 175). Gender roles are introduced and enforced as soon as the sex of a child is determined (Gottleib, 168); boys begin a life of masculinity, with emphasis put on toughness and girls begin a life of femininity, with emphasis put on emotion and tenderness. Each sex is introduced to the gender roles expected for a certain identity to be maintained. The enforcement of gender roles in socialization is present cross culturally, as seen in â€Å"Life is Hard† by Roger Lancaster, children are taught the roles they are expected to perform before they are conscious of their own actions (Lancaster, 41). Critics believe, however, that when it comes to defining a person, gender alone does not describe the individual, for example, sexuality should be conside red as well (Gottleib, 176). Since gender is learned through cultural socialization, and it’s ability to be a continuum, sexuality of individuals is created by the expectations of gender and is, in ideally, built on a sliding scale, but in reality is just as restricting as theShow MoreRelatedThe Topic Of Sexuality1144 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduce the topic of sexuality (para)- Horrocks (1997) points out in his book that sexuality encircles multiple aspects of human existence. Sexuality is then, not a uniform or simple phenomenon and is influenced by the interaction of psychological, biological, social, cultural factors and many more. Horrocks (1997), suggests that to try and understand or explain a definitive conclusion about sexuality seems impossible as sexuality has different meanings to so many groups of people. IntroduceRead MoreSexuality As A Social Construct1486 Words   |  6 PagesHannah St. Lifer Sexuality as a Social Construct Heternormativity is the idea that there exist two distinctive classifications of the genders, males and females, with customary roles in society. The idea asserts that heterosexuality is the only normal sexual orientation of people and that all sexual and marital relations must abide by this norm. Society has adopted this belief and constructed it into a standard of life. It is normal for people to automatically presume that most other people are heterosexualRead MoreAnalysis Of Foucault And Queer Theory 1211 Words   |  5 PagesIn Foucault and Queer Theory Spargo defines queer theory as a nebulous group of cultural criticism and analysis of social power structures relating to sexuality . It is these power structures and aspects of culture that are responsible for the discourse that creates and informs ones understanding of gender, race, and sexuality. However these aspects of identity do not exist separately from one another, but are constructed in tandem throughout history. These layers of identity inform each otherRead MoreThe Body, Gender, And Sexuality964 Words   |  4 PagesAllise Sellers Unit 2 Reading Response The body, gender, and sexuality are intertwined concepts that have been simplified to a point that attempts to explain each of these characteristic constructs purely through biology. However, ignoring the social implications in various cultures takes away from the complex analysis these foundational human descriptors actually deserve. In the writings of R.W. Connell, Suzanne Kessler, S.E. Smith, Lisa Wade, Riki Wilchins, and Patricia Hill Collins, these authorsRead MoreThe Social Discrimination Of Women977 Words   |  4 PagesThe social discrimination that individuals face today was built on a foundation that men had created long ago. We are indeed very oblivious to the patriarchy and prejudice we are surrounded by because we are accustomed to what our parents and guardians believed in while growing up. Their ideologies are embedded into our brains thus leading us to unknowingly spread false information and make assumptions based off of those thoughts. A few examples would be the worldwide belief that men shouldn’t cryRead MoreGender And Gender Essay774 Words   |  4 PagesThe social constructionist viewpoint on gender and sexuality seems to be the one of the most plausible ways to study and examine the topics. Although biology no doubt has an impact on attraction, and quite possibly gender, society influences the choices of everyone, and whether a person realizes it or not, society shapes their identity. The structure of society and its norms influence everything a person does, including their gender and sexuality. Gender is already considered to be a social constructRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Heterosexuality1250 Words   |  5 Pagesnotions of gender roles portrayed by masculine and feminine traits, from section four of Composing Gender â€Å"How Do We Define Sexuality†? The idea that one individual can â€Å"feel† masculine or â€Å"feel† feminine does not make them a male or female. â€Å"Throughout Composing G ender, many readings refer to sexuality as an inevitable part of gender construction, several authors use the terms â€Å"heteronormative† and compulsory heterosexuality† to describe a social structure in which the expression of sexuality is seenRead MoreEssay about The Making of You as a Student1438 Words   |  6 Pages‘Conservative’ orientation, but with an undercurrent of ‘Liberal’. I believe this largely influenced my identity, and led to a specific construction of child (Jones, 2011). This essay will discuss how a predominantly ‘Conservative’ orientation unintentionally shaped my childhood and adolescence, affected my views and expectations of sex and gender, and formed my idea of sexuality. I attended a Co-Educational Catholic School in Moree, New South Wales. Being a student at a Catholic school in a Cotton-growingRead MoreHuman Nature : Gender System Is Established On A Basis Of Our Own Standards875 Words   |  4 PagesIn the U.S. the gender system is established on a basis of our own standards. â€Å"The paradox of human nature is that it is always a manifestation of cultural meanings, social relationships, and power politics; not biology, but culture, becomes destiny† (Lorber 117). We do not picture males and females based on their genitalia, but rather the way that people express their gender identity. No matter someone’s personal identification, the greater society will â€Å"do gender† and categorize them anyway. TheRead MoreAnalysis Of Allen Ginsberg s Howl And 1661 Words   |  7 PagesAllen Ginsberg was one of the greatest admired Beat Generation poets, who particularly used free flowing, aggressive and occasionally a discourteous style of language to show that the rule and social structure over heterosexuality can be filled with opposition, so he decided to release queerness. Ginsberg strongly disputed capitalism and conformity that notably consisted of sexual repression, so he incorporated in the development of counterculture and challenged the heteronormative, procreation-driven

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.