Men Dominate above Women - Essay Example

Reflective Essay on History (Gender Studies)       In grammar, gender is the distinction made between words to indicate a difference of sex in the objects they denote. Names signifying the male sex are masculine gender; those denoting the female sex are feminine gender, and those indicating to inanimate objects are neuter gender, neither masculine nor feminine1. Sometimes, mostly of us get confused the use of “sex”, “gender”, and “sexuality”. Though these three words have something in common but it still has its thin line difference that separates the three from each other. Sex refers to the perceived anatomical construction of an individual; there are only two known sexes the male and the female. When we say gender, it is actually how the culture we are in to categorize the difference between a man and a woman in the social formation. In other words, gender depends on the form of norms the society suggests. Lastly, sexuality is the modern discourse concerning sex which Foucault studied 2. There two known gender for animate matters, it is very much evident that human in nature is very patriarchal. Men dominate above women.       It is already an issue on which to follow for the categories of gender. The conservative society will claim that there are only two accepted gender, the male or female. The society’s notion on gender evolved and little by little entertained the other kind of gender which is the “third sex” (as what they call it) the homosexuals1. Just like in the Modern West, they believe that gender is more of nature. This means that there is only male and female basing on the anatomical features 2. But when we say “anatomical”, we are actually referring to the science of life called “Biology”. This science belongs to the 20th century batch of sciences and believes that the existence of the third sex has reasons and causes. This science therefore has a different belief with that of the Modern West. In Modern West construction, they believe in bipolarity or the opposite of thing, example male with female, masculine and feminine, and girl and boy. When we talk about gender there will be a lot involved issues in it. There were those about equality rights that will come up. There are also those issues about homosexuality and their rights. Before, homosexuality is already observed, long before the time of Troy and the Greek Philosophers. The issue of homosexuality before was about men drawn to have relationships with the same sex with the reason of academic relationship. They thought they would be more of a genius person when having relationship with the same sex. But the issues about gender before were not as sound as now. It was all passing.  Approaches toward homosexual behavior have diversed with time and place. In ancient Greece, homosexual relations were accepted and, in some cases, expected activity in certain segments of society. Later attitudes toward homosexuality in the Western world were determined largely by prevailing Judeo-Christian moral codes, which treat homosexuality as immoral or sinful. But like many other sins, homosexual relations were seen as expressions of the weakness inherent in all human beings, and not as a mental disorder or as the behavior of a specific type of person. This latter view, which regarded homosexuality as a pathology, developed in the late 19th century. By the beginning of the 20th century, psychoanalysts out-looked homosexuals as the victims of faulty development 7. There had been a lot of sociobiologists that tried to explain the existence of the third sex. The Modern West idea said that there are only two kinds of gender which is the male and female and that this is natural. Biologists tried to explain that the existence of the third sex has something to do with the hormonal imbalances of the person but sociobiologists will say that it is due to the third sex is due to the construction of new norms by the society. Though Biologists tried to explain the phenomenon of the third sex, from the genes, chromosomes, etc, it appears that it is not enough. At the first step, Biologists will surely separate the two genders as male and female in the first place without any information in these criteria. Trans sexual are possibly the cause of the liberalism of the society.       Together with the advancement of technology and of the world is the evolution also of society’s behavior. A shift of belief and moral issues is already happening now. Together with the advancements of this time are the liberalism and the extremism of the society. In 1920, the journey of homosexuality has started to the modern part that plays in any culture today. This time it is not hard for those homosexuals to go out and find those people that are also like them. They can go to bars, restaurants to engage in any homosexual acts 3. But before the 20th century, there was a belief about homosexuality. The society took this kind of gender as a terrible illness, even worst it is considered as a sin in the eyes of Christians. Together with this issue are the controversies about how religions (especially the Roman Catholics) disagree with the idea since they rely on the bible’s writings about two kinds of sexes only, the men and the women. Despite their social susceptibility most homosexuals live useful lives. Before 1966 homosexual behaviors even in private between consenting adults, was illegal. The problems of a homosexual are as much due to the attitude of society towards him as to any inborn personal or emotional trouble 4. A little more distant than internal feelings about sexual identity and bodily pleasure, are the controls exerted by the society on the individual behavior. Every society, first through the parents, later through customs and even laws, tests to control sexual behavior. Among the religions, Christianity is the most prohibitive of free sexual expression. Today, surgeries are even probable for those men who want to have a body of a woman. The advancements of medical and technological ideas have given the opportunity to those homosexuals. Transsexuals of today take in sex hormones for them to heap on their voices and make their beard grow (for girls) and some to reduce the size of their Adam’s apple, get rid of beard growth, and enhance breast growth (for boys) 6. During the 1970’s, there was a significant number of gays and lesbians going public with their orientation, probably being inspired by the strides the African-American culture were making concerning equal rights. Though the gay community was holding cross dressing balls and gatherings in Times Square New York and other heavily populated, diverse cities around the nation in the 20’s and 30’s, homosexuals were deathly afraid of “coming out.” Society still has preconceived ideas about what a sexual relationship should consist of. Injustices against homosexuals in Western societies have only recently begun to change. The first major shift followed the publication of two famous reports, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1952), by American biologist Alfred Charles Kinsey. Although these works contained exaggerated estimates of the homosexual population and the incidence of behavior, they offered a more realistic picture of homosexuality and helped demystify it. Unlike earlier studies which focused on homosexuals who had sought medical or psychological help, the Kinsey reports described homosexuals outside of clinical settings. Kinsey found homosexuals in all walks of life, growing up in all kinds of families, practicing many different religions. As a result of the ensuing scientific discussion, the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 eliminated homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses and, in 1980, dropped it from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 8. In the late-capitalist lifestyle, gays and lesbians are also consumers of goods and also tend to go to public places not just to mingle with those people like them but to be freely be wondering around as another type of gender 9 . In China for example, in the earlier days their belief (Confucianism) was also pro to the conservative ideals of two genders. But in the 20th century, they realized how far they are behind the Western countries. So they send their people to study Western knowledge due to the hunger of new knowledge. It just happened that during this time also that the ideas and new principles of sexuality up roared 5. It is this time that the society of China also experienced the changed of concept about sexuality. They were even into the invention of new psychology that will explain about this kind of sexuality. Not only was the issue of homosexuals given attention even the issue of women equality with men was also tackled in China. Considering China as a late bloomer to the society’s evolution, it was never exempted to be involved later on to the changes around it. The lifestyle of gays has been supplied by the encouragement of freedom to go to public. They are even being allowed also to buy things they want and so have contributed the economy as well. Clothes as being affiliated to fashion is the primary booming industry that homosexuals greatly contributed in the field of economy and other things. Not just clothes but also accessories, has greatly influenced the influx of different industries. As mentioned previously, medical advancements and technology are a great help for the realization of the freedom of the third sex. Sex change is the big example of the advancements that bridges the homosexuals to freedom. Surgeries like breast augmentation and hormonal pills availability are also another contribution for the realization of the existence of homosexuality 8. Though homosexuals are lately accepted nowadays by some culture, there are still a lot of issues they are confronting right now. Among the issues they are facing are the same sex relationships and had even gone to same sex marriage. Up to this moment, they are fighting for equal rights like those of the other genders. But there are also countries who allow same sex marriage already but not true to all. Who knows, after this century homosexuals and their rights are already fully accepted. It is already evident that in the 20th century it is the turning point of the concept new gender, the homosexuals. Works Cited: 1 Universal Encyclopedia (1993). Gender (vol. 12, p. 172). Regency Publishing, Inc. Australia: Cassilis. 2 PDF FILE Sexuality and Gender construction 3Universal Encyclopedia (1993). Human Sexuality (Vol. 26, p. 60). Regency Publishing, Inc. Australia: Cassilis. 4Universal Encyclopedia (1993). Homosexuality (vol.14, p. 184). Regency publishing, Inc. Australia: Cassilis. 5Grolier Encyclopedia (1991). China (Vol. 3). Kingfisher Books: Hong Kong. 6Grolier Encyclopedia (1991). Sexuality (Vol. 8, p. 612). Kingfisher Books: Hong Kong. 7Marx, J. (2001). Sexuality (Vol. 2, p 51). Inline Publishing House, Inc.: Malaysia. 8Burhen (2003). Homosexuality in 20th Century. Collingwood Publishing Inc.: Singapore. 9Donald M. Lose, The body in the late-capitalist USA (Durham: Duke University Press, 1995), pp. 127, 135, 147-8. Read More