Gender Roles and Human Sexuality - Essay Example

According to Crooks and Baur (2011), human sexuality defines how we understand and articulate ourselves as sexual beings. The aspect of being male or female determines how one develops socially, with or without consciousness. It gives a fundamental source of motivation. For example, males are perceived as being more able to hold leadership positions than females, be it in political or business roles. Therefore, they can easily win elective posts. They are also considered to be able to physically defend themselves more than females. This suggests that men’s masculinity accords them more physical strength than women.

Financially, men are believed to earn more than women, although contemporary trends may prove otherwise among the younger generations. Depending on the generation, any gender can be financially independent. However, all these perceptions may only be stereotypical. Research has shown that women are better at handling emotional turmoil than men (Crooks & Baur, 2011). Women are less represented in emotional diagnostic categories or impulse control disorders. In men, such difficulties lead to drug and alcohol abuse delinquency, violent outbursts, and sexual misconduct more than they do in women. Women are also confronted by less self-destructive and irrational sexual desires.

Rather than wish to belong to the other gender, it is more prudent to accept oneself and work towards getting the best out of what one was destined to be. For instance, men can have female friends because women are prone to discuss relationships and offer more social support instead of indulging in activities aimed at disguising social ill. On the other hand, women can find comfort among themselves because they do not always reciprocate the platonic interests of friendship with men. One would rather stay as they are and complement themselves with values and virtues that one lacks through interaction with the opposite sex (Crooks & Baur, 2011).

Whereas men are expected to provide financially, they cannot do without the emotional balance they receive from women, and neither can women live on their emotional strength alone. Therefore, human sexuality is a multi-dimensional function that can fully be understood by interacting with various ideas and perspectives. Gender should only be considered as a motivational factor that drives one towards being as human as possible, regardless of cultural diversities or overlaps. I would not assume that one gender is more advantaged than the other in any aspect and wish for a change. Rather, it would be mutually beneficial if each gender enhanced its uniqueness for the sake of improving the other and suppressing the perceived undesirable traits. Read More