Statement of Purpose
Throughout an American woman’s lifetime we are told to be lady-like, classy, sophisticated, non-masculine. We are taught that if we are like a man, we are unworthy. If we are sexual beings, we are manly; only men think of sex. As women, sex is taught to be for reproduction, not pleasure. But what if these ideals were not taught? What if sex were not socially stigmatized for women, but was praised as it is for men? Better yet, the question that should be the most focused on here is, if not for the social stigma presented to women, would they have the same sexual drive, urges, and thoughts as men?
I’m hoping that throughout my research I am able to discover the answer to these various questions. The basis of womanly sexuality, without the presentation of social stigmatization.
Background
My interests derives from my early childhood. My parents always felt it necessary to be completely honest with me with every question I asked, including the question “where do babies come from?” Sexuality has always been at the forefront of my mind, especially because my parents did their best to be non-conformist when it came to matters of sex, gender, and overall sexuality. They wanted me to be raised with the ideal that sex was not a dirty topic or act, nor always an act of love – it was purely a physical act that could be represented in many different ways, often with dire consequences if not handled delicately. They also made it a point to raise my brothers and me as similarly as possible, keeping toys, wardrobe, etc. as gender neutral as possible. Since my childhood I’ve had an increased interest in sexuality, both for men and women, constantly wondering about the hypocrisy that lies within the two sexes.
As for per...
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...pect to run into a couple of ethical issues when it comes to pure statistics, which would be most helpful to my overall conclusion. In order to get the most pure answer to my question, I would need to keep women away from the social stigmatization of society, which would be nearly impossible and take time dedication that I do not have. I will have to pull information from other cultures in which this stigmatization does not exist and attempt to make connections that may or may not exist.
Also, one professor who I have worked with in the past is unavailable to speak face-to-face due to being in another part of the globe currently, and is on a critical time difference. Thankfully, there is e-mail, but I’m worried that via e-mail might become more conversational than true to an interview. It will have to be tread on lightly in order to receive its maximum potential.
society at large. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise 29.4 percent of people working in
Travis, Cheryl Brown, Kayce L. Meginnis, and Kristin M. Bardari. "Beauty, Sexuality, and Identity: The Social Control of Women." Sexuality, Society, and Feminism. Ed. Cheryl Brown Travis and Jacquelyn W. White. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2000.
It has been said that “Society has always defined for us what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, what a man should be like and what a woman should be like, and these traditional definitions of gender roles have limited and even harmed individuals”. The theme of sexual politics comes to mind for this quote. One can define sexual politics as the relationship of the sexes, male and female regarding power. Society’s definition of this can limit an individual in their gender role and restrain a person to not be themselves.
When examining femininity, one notes that it is constantly being altered and shaped by the beliefs of those who participate within the patriarchy. There seems to be a set standard on how women should display their femininity, and boundaries that should not be crossed. Although many people believe that women are reclaiming both their sexuality and femininity, I feel as though that hasn’t been totally possible. I believe that the surveillance of women’s bodies can prevent them from reclaiming their sexuality and femininity or encourages them to regain it.
...am Victorian society, sexual liberalism transformed the ways in which people arranged their private lives. Shifting from a Victorian environment of production, separate sexual spheres, and the relegation of any illicit extramarital sex to an underworld of vice, the modern era found itself in a new landscape of consumerism, modernism and inverted sexual stereotypes. Sexuality was now being discussed, systemized, controlled, and made an object of scientific study and popular discourse. Late nineteenth-century views on "natural" gender and sexuality, with their attendant stereotypes about proper gender roles and proper desires, lingered long into the twentieth century and continue, somewhat fitfully, to inform the world in which we live. It is against this cultural and political horizon that an understanding of sexuality in the modern era needs to be contextualized.
Over the past couple centuries that the United States has existed, society has always had a judgement to make on one’s sexuality. At the head of society has consistently been white, Christian, hetereosexual males; therefore, they had the power to define sexual and societal norms. As a result, judgements on one’s sexuality have always intersected with one’s race, class or gender, groups of people that are not dominating society.
Based on a study conducted in 2000, 1.5 million women (approximately 25% of the female population) and about 834,732 men (approximately 7.6-14%
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Looking at our past, there have been dramatic changes in the way humans view sex. Long before the 1900s individuals framed their views based on the religious institution. Due to the fact that they strongly centered their idea of sexual thought on religion, they believed that the only purpose of having sex was to procreate. As the 1920’s approached, there were various factors that changed the way individuals viewed sex. The “new women” known, as flappers were women who were confident in who they were. They changed their attire as well as their social attitude. In the 1920s, the flappers redefined sex; customs and traditions were broken and new norms were created by society.
Sexuality is a fundamental part of our self-discovery, involving much more than just being genetically or anatomically male and female and it is not defined solely by one 's sexual acts (Ministry of Education 1989, p.79 cited in Gourlay, P 1995). The notion that sexuality is fixed and innate disregards the social aspects that impact ones’ sexualities. Gagnon and Simon (1973) further commented that sexuality is a feature of social
Our sexuality, whether male or female, comes as an essential good that is a part of our very being and guides us on how we must act accordingly. Being male or female makes us sexually different, which is why men are assumed to be physically stronger whereas women are claimed to be able to handle simultaneous complexities of life (Borja, 2013). However, this does not imply that there is a more superior gender and an inferior one. Today we live in a patriarchal ruled society where women have to constantly strive and fight for their place in society. Women need to prove their competence as to not be regarded as a weakling or merely as the other, while on the other hand, men do not really need to put much effort and attention to these issues because they are already considered as the one and are on the top of the social pyramid.
From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.
Throughout Western civilization, culturally hegemonic views on gender and sexuality have upheld a rigid and monolithic societal structure, resulting in the marginalization and dehumanization of millions of individuals who differ from the expected norm. Whether they are ridiculed as freaks, persecuted as blasphemers, or discriminated as sub-human, these individuals have been historically treated as invisible and pushed into vulnerable positions, resulting in cycles of poverty and oppression that remain prevalent even in modern times. Today, while many of these individuals are not publicly displayed as freaks or persecuted under Western law, women, queer, and intersexed persons within our society still nonetheless find themselves under constant
Men and women are very different, especially when it comes to sexuality. They have different feelings and emotions. Gender role expectations influence a huge impact on our sexuality. Gender roles refer to how a person behaves as male or female, we close to masculine or femine, which are chararestics that yourself or other notice. Boys and girls have always been treated differently. Males are treated more as the tough one, with no emotions, and females as the one’s whoe were emotional and needed to more attention.
Gender And Sexuality: Productive and Non Productive Aspects Gender carries a more social tone. It refers to socially constructed differences between the sexes and to the social relationships between women and men. These differences between the sexes are shaped over the history of social relations and change over time and across cultures. Gender identity depends on the circumstances in which women and men live and includes economic, cultural, historical, ideological, and religious factors. Gender relations also vary according to the economic and social conditions of the society and differ between social and ethnic groups. The definition of sexuality can encompass many things. This can mean the feelings we have about ourselves as sexual beings, the ways in which we choose to express these feelings with ourselves and others, and the physical capability each of us has to give and experience sexual pleasure. Sex is the total sum of physical characteristics that distinguish males and females from each other. The most distinctive difference in characteristics is that man and women have different reproductive organs. This is pretty obvious and so are other traits like facial hair, deep voices, and muscular builds. Current Scenario: If you are questioning your sexual orientation or gender identity, you probably have already figured out that society is telling you what it wants you to be. Families, religions, and different cultural and ethnic institutions communicate expectations to us, both in direct and indirect ways, about how to be. Often as children queer people get a sense that they don't fit with society's codes. It may not be completely clear to some individuals at first in what way they don't fit; instead they feel a vague sense o...