Major Activities in Gender and Sexuality - Assignment Example

Gender issues by Activity Introduction to Gender: Who am I? The question “who am I?” is inextricably linked with the ideas of men and women. The first thing that the person should say is to determine to which biological sex he/she belongs, that is, whether the person is male or female. In this case, I can say that I am a woman aged 24 years. However, this response is not exhaustive, since it is not sufficient to understand who I am. That fact that I am a woman has the inextricable link with the concept of gender, which is extremely important in the social life of people. One can find many definitions of the concept of gender, some of which involve different points of view on this issue. One of the most common is the definition according to which, “gender refers to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviours, values, relative power and influence that society ascribes to the two sexes on a differential basis” (Esplen & Jolly 2006, p. 3). Thus, gender can be seen as a result of the influence of cultural and social perceptions of the roles to be performed by men and women on the basis of their biological characteristics. In other words, gender considers biological sex in its relationship with certain features that a person should perform as a member of society. In this regard, one needs to pay attention to the fact that, as noted by some researchers, in particular, Simone De Beauvoir, there are certain stereotypes of gender roles in society. This is due to the fact that femininity is seen as associated with qualities such as weakness, indecision, passivity, etc., while masculinity is defined by qualities such as activity, energy, determination, and so on. In turn, one can also specify the stereotypes according to which, “men are stereotyped as independent, agentic, and goal oriented; women are stereotyped as interdependent, communal, and oriented toward others” (Cuddy, Crotty, Chong & Norton 2010, p. 3). As a result, women face restrictions in various areas of their lives (professional, creative, and family). As a woman, I can partially agree with Beauvoir, because I myself confronted with the fact that for the simple reason that I am a female, I am obliged to perform certain functions for women. Society negatively assesses those who are trying to go against the accepted stereotypes regarding male and female behaviour. For example, society has a negative attitude to the situations when men start crying because gender representations of masculinity suggest that as a strong beings the man should not cry and express his feelings. I believe that this is not quite correct, because both men and women have the right to express their feelings, but of course men should understand that they cannot express their feelings as intensely as women do. So I can answer the question "who am I?" as follows: I am a woman who, in accordance with the accepted gender ideas, should be feminine and strive for self-fulfilment primarily as a mother and a wife. Activity 2- Gender and Sexuality: My Body is Wrong In her article titled ‘My Body Is Wrong,’ Viv Groskop analyses the problem of transsexuality among children and adolescents. The author writes about the problems faced not only by transgender children but also by their parents and doctors. In fact, every day, the problem of transsexuality is becoming very important. It is rather difficult because it has particular importance for a stable psychological and mental balance of a person. James (1995) gives the following explanation of this phenomenon: “In the case of transsexuality, for example, a man (defined anatomically as such) may nonetheless regard himself and act as if he were a woman in term of gender role” (p . 82). Thus, the problem lies in the fact that people cannot identify themselves with their biological sex, and therefore they cannot accept gender roles attributed by society based on their sex. In this regard, the article by Viv Groskop is very valuable because it provides an opportunity to get more information about the problem. In particular, Groskop (2008) focuses on the fact that the problem can also be observed among children under the age of 4 years old who feel that their biological sex does not match the representation of themselves. This is a very serious problem, because as they grow older, this situation is becoming increasingly complex, which may even lead to suicide. The suicidal nature of this problem is very important, so this article deserves special attention. In addition, the second key idea of the article is that the author draws attention to the fact that many parents do not know how to react to the news that their children want to change their biological sex. The family side of the issue is no less important, as many parents are shocked to find out that their children reject their bodies. The parents of these children, as well as society cannot positively evaluate the fact that teenagers want to change their biological sex. Indeed, many of them have such feelings as fear of condemnation, grief, and so on (Brill & Pepper 2008, pp. 44-45). Medicine also demonstrates a negative attitude to this situation, since transsexuality is seen as a deviation that requires treatment, including by means of hormone therapy. The author gives an opportunity to see that parents, doctors, and society in general are not ready to give a positive or at least neutral evaluation to transsexuality. Transsexuality is considered as a negative phenomenon that must be eliminated with the help of medication, therapy, etc. Medical side of the issue deserves no less attention, since many doctors are able to exert a negative impact on the psychological state of children. The main reason is that they are “transphobic” (Groskop 2008). They see their task to finally destroy the childrens desire to change their sex. As a result, this treatment does not help, but rather causes irreparable harm to childrens health. Children face psychological discomfort when they are called transgender children. Thus, the main key idea of the author is that society must learn to respond adequately to the transsexuality. The task of parents and health professionals is to ensure correct and effective solution to the problem, which will not cause any harm to the childs psyche. The other student whom I interviewed also agreed with my understanding of the key points of the article. In his opinion, the article reveals the features of participation of all three parties in the solution of this problem, namely parents, physicians and society in general. He drew attention to the fact that parents are very nervous in this situation for the simple reason that society imposes on people certain gender stereotypes. In accordance with these stereotypes, everyone should accept his/her body and perform certain gender roles based on the biological characteristics of humans. In particular, women should have children, take care of their husbands, perform household duties, etc. In turn, the task of a man is to make money, be successful, etc. Anyone who tries to break these gender stereotypes becomes a derelict. For this reason, parents of transgender children are very nervous and do not know what to do in such a situation. They are well aware that the public will not understand their children and their children will be rejected by society. This realization has led many parents to fight against the wishes of their children to change their biological sex. Children are subjected to different treatments that do not bring any benefit, but on the contrary may lead to suicide. This interview has allowed me to reflect on the negative role that society can play in the lives of millions of people. It causes people to be those who they do not want to be. I am not saying that everyone has the right to violate the laws of society and harm other people just because he/she wants it. I am trying to say that to some extent s such phenomena as transsexuality can be understood, as long as a man cannot live in harmony with his/her biological sex and no treatment is able to help. In my opinion, the existence of such problem as transsexuality should suggest a creation of psychological centres aimed at helping people to understand whether or not they want to change their sex. The main objective is to understand the need for changing the biological sex, because if a person faces such an issue, no therapy can guarantee a successful solution to the problem. In addition, it is necessary to create institutions that will help transgender children and adolescents undergo the procedure of changing their sex. Such centres should provide psychological help, because such children are sure to face a lack of understanding in relation to their problem both by parents and by their peers. Adaptation to a new physical appearance requires not only time, but also certain psychological changes. The task of experts in the field is related to the organization of the most favourable psychological conditions for the “rebirth” of such people in a new image. Reference List Brill, S & Rachel, P 2008 The transgender child: A handbook for families and professionals. Cleis Press Inc., San Francisco. Cuddy, AJC, Susan, C, Chong, J & Norton, MI 2010, Men as cultural ideals: How culture shapes gender stereotypes, Harvard Business School, viewed 15 January 2015, . De Beauvoir, S 1986, The second sex, trans. HM Parshley, Penguin, Aylesbury. Esplen, E & Jolly, S 2006, Gender and sex: A sample of definitions, University of Sussex, Institute of Development Studies, BRIDGE (gender and development), viewed 15 January 2015, . Groskop, V 2008, ‘My body is wrong’, The Guardian, 14 August, viewed 15 January 2015, . James, A 1995, ‘The contribution of social anthropology to the understanding of atypical gender identity in childhood’, in Ceglie DD & Freedman D (eds.), A stranger in my own body: Atypical gender identity development and mental health, Karnac Books, London, pp. 79-94. Read More