Gender and Sexual Studies - Research Paper Example

Gender and Sexual Studies Introduction Gender refers to the range of human beings looks or characteristics. These characteristics pertain to or differentiate between masculinity and femininity. Depending on the context in which gender is used as a subject matter, the range of gender characteristics may include sex-based social structures (including social roles and gender roles), gender identity and the biological sex (such as the state of either being male or female). Sexologist John Money came up with this terminology at around the year 1955. The term gender, during this period, was common in the distinction between biological sex and gender as a role. This meaning of gender nonetheless became infamous until 1970s when feminist theory strongly embraced the concept of distinctions between the social contact of gender and biological sex. Sexuality, on the other hand, as a terminology, may be misunderstood in meaning as gender. Sexuality, nonetheless, refers to the capacity and capability to have erotic responses and experiences. A person’s sexual orientation may influence their self-ego especially in terms of sexual interest and attraction to the other persons. Per se, sexuality may be expressed or wholesomely experienced in a variety of ways. These ways include thoughts, desires, fantasies, attitudes, values, relationships and behaviors. This research paper aims at describing a self-assessment and understanding of gender and sexual studies as a field of study in the current educational curriculum. Part One Embracing a person’s sexuality is one of the reasons for individual’s happiness in every societal setting. For instance, marriage is one of the reasons as to why every individual should embrace his sexuality. Honestly, sometimes it seems like sexuality is a very complex topic of study in the gender relations. However, married men, for example, are often bombarded on a day-to-day basis by conflicting messages and experiences such as you are handsome, you are not handsome (Beasley 123). Women, on the other hand, experience the same compliments like you are not sexy, and you are sexy. Additional conflicting sexuality messages and exceptions to the women include married couple have the worst sex, sex is for your husband, sex is for you and lastly married couples tend to have the best sex complement. Honestly, it is always good to leave women with a smile on their faces, dismay and confusion on their minds. This is embracing sexuality. In the business interactions, everyday stress and fatigue of the libido-suppressing effects, it becomes necessary for people to leave the whole of this “sexuality thing” for another day (Brownson 145). Embracing sexuality as an aspect of socialization is not bad though it should have some limits. When it comes to sexual pleasure, embracing sexuality encourages the best way possible for the married couple to experience sexual pleasure. Additionally, embracing sexuality in the marriage incidence ensures that the marriage partners cordially respect one another. Even though the embracement of sexuality to some degree seems stacked against every married couple personality, sexologists encourage people not to give up or let go of innately driven sex persuasion and intimacy in their marriages. According Jowet (2005), embracing and enjoying sexuality may at times be challenging or even overwhelming (p.167). Only the effort put into the recognition of embracing intimacy will repay the sexual pleasure many times over. The importance of embracing a person’s sexuality, therefore, revolves around the following factors; Firstly, individuals should make space in their lives for sex and intimacy. Busyness per se is the enemy of the love (Lewis 134). If you find yourself running from a commitment to commitment the whole day, then you will never find energy or time to embrace and enjoy your noble sexuality. Sexuality should, therefore, determine as a predestined want by making it a priority. Creating margins and space around an individual’s life for his or her marriage allows for sex and intimacy to flourish. The second aspect of embracing sexuality is aimed at making considerations of the things, which may in one-way or another squash a person’s libido. For instance, for most women, fatigue is one of the highly researched on reasons for the running off of libido. Additionally, hormonal birth control can also play a role in the reluctance of embracing libido by women. Lastly, unrealistic expectations linked to culture can also alter the embracing of libido (Lind & Stephanie 111). Most cultures tend to focus on male “sexuality” as the model. This makes the women partners assume that if something were wrong with them sexually, their husbands would be feeling the same effects. However, this is a wrong assumption since a women’s sexual response is not similarly identical to their husbands. Last importance of embracing sexuality is talking about sex whenever need arises. Complementing your partner in a sexual manner may be one of the ideal factors here (Hollibaugh 225). Talking about sex is ultimately one of the hardest topics. Maybe this is because we think it is not “manlike” to communicate our sexual needs as marriage partners. On the other hand, it may be because different people do not have a self-belief that their needs are valid, or they may think that their wives should automatically know what they exactly need (Messinger 122). These thoughts aside, as a couple, you need to start a conversation with your partner and tell them how much you want to embrace and enjoy your sexuality and improve sex and intimacy in your marriage. Sexual or erotic happiness can only be achieved through a complete cultural overhaul. A cultural overhaul implies a complete reversal of the cultural view of sexuality. Various cultures do not embrace sexuality. This is because these cultures do not allow openness when it comes to the embracement of sexuality among the marriage partners. If cultures were to allow openness for the discussion of sexuality, then erotic or sexual happiness for both men and women will be achieved at every societal supra-structure. When theoretical traditions are integrated into a social construction of gender, marriage and heterosexuality, various reasons for the lack of sexual happiness for men and women are adversely unearthed (Rahnam 148). Culturally, married men and women tend to believe that sex is holistically integral to a worthwhile marriage and men are more sexual than women are. This notion drives back the ideal happiness that need to be acquired when it comes to sexual or erotic happiness for both women and men. Thus, doing away with such like cultural beliefs will leave both men and women with a liberal view of sexuality as an elementary aspect of socialization. Part Two: Gender and Sexuality in a Conservative Society In the contemporary society, gender and sexuality have emerged into a single phenomenon often referred to as gendered sexuality. Gendered sexuality refers to the manner in which gender and sexuality are viewed as intertwined constructs. The gendered sexuality, as a humanistic Erotic approach, postulates a preempted role of gender in an individual’s life as informed by other people’s impacts and perceptions of their sexuality (Holliaugh 225). In the conservative society in which we live in, for instance, both the female and male members are subject to the assumption of heterosexuality. If a man were to behave in a feminine way, then his heterosexuality would be greatly doubted. An assumption that such individuals are gay may be resorted into. It is, therefore, important in the conservative society for the masculine groups to be attracted to the feminine groups sexually. Human beings, as opposed to the other creatures, were practically given the sense of reasoning and making decisions by God (Rahman & Stevi 67). This ideally is where sexuality as an important societal subject of study comes in. I, as an agent of humanity, would positively embrace erotic or sexual happiness as a resource within which every social role player is bound to adversely conform with. Though erotic as a resource lies directly on the female innate domain and spiritual lane, marriage lifestyle may in one way or the other give directions on the ways of achieving the erotic happiness. As much as I may not be in a marriage relationship, interacting with the people of my opposite gender give me answers to various puzzles that crisscross my mind in relation to sexuality (Yirssi 2). In the articulation of my needs, desires and boundaries in relation to sexuality, various challenges have been on my side. I think in one way or the other, expressing desires, especially the sexual ones, is quite challenging. This is not only experienced by myself, but by every individual in the society whether married or married. Nonetheless, sexuality desires in the current contemporary societies are largely driven by religious practices. Religions, for instance, do not believe in sex before marriage (Hollibaurgh 226). All my needs, boundaries, and desires wholesomely may only be achieved by embracing Eros as part and parcel of my sexually disoriented societal setting. What does it mean to embrace Eros? To embrace Eros according to me may refer to a healthy or happy sexuality. I am a sexual being. Therefore, my sexuality cognitively is innate (Lorder 53). Biblically, from the moment we are born, the umbilical cutting when done, we cry for a reconnection with our mothers, and this is where sexuality begins (Jowett 102). I grow up in my parents embrace, get security and continue to expand my world through friendships up-to-date. My sexuality, as a sexually active individual, has beyond doubt developed from adolescence through to young adulthood. Openly narrating my sexuality, the force within me has over the last decades driven me towards friendship. At some point, I have vehemently sought intimacy though hardly knew nothing about it. In order to keep my intimate desire a culturally holistic one, sexuality may to some extent work against humanity through sexuality implications of working against our being along thus allowing unimaginable solitude emergence while seeking communion with God. Sexuality is a teaching from the Bible; therefore, should be respected. Sexuality may seek expression through creativity to both seeing and making beauty, giving sexuality to a skill or entirely a course or a life partner. Sexuality accordingly is a holy trinity at its core. Erotic power is good and blessed especially in the understanding of humanistic love (Lorder 54). Erotic happiness has beyond doubt taken me far beyond myself thus overcoming selfishness through seeking of the communion with the opposite sex creation and the creator. I, therefore, believe for a more healthy understanding of sexuality and spiritual guidelines for what it means empirically to be a sexual people. Erotic knowledge is a high view of sex, which implies that sexual orientation is perceived as a holy gift related to our whole selves, minds, body and spirit. Positive attitudes and views of sexuality express sexuality as a physical action of sex in the best way possible (Lorder 57). My sexuality has conventionally driven me into the world meant specifically for loving and embracing life. Additionally, knowledge regarding erotic embracement has in my interaction capacity, as a human being, driven me into healthy collisions with other persons with whom as time goes by I have come to love and share in sexual intimacy with. Conservatively, I am going to keep to my desires, but resist the temptation to speak about sex. This is because sex is a very complicated matter. Put differently, I am going to embrace the prerogative that I have been socially socialized to embrace Eros since it plays a critically vital role as a part of humanity. Conclusion Sex and gender have been in the time immemorial interchangeable terminologies. For instance, in the 1960s and 1970s, the term gender began to get thorough descriptions, and it spread throughout the literature within the psychological field of study. As much as changes have been made in the term gender, today it simply represents a person’s feeling and expression of their gender typically through femininity and masculinity. Sexuality, on the other hand, is informed by gender. Psychologically, gender is normally perceived in three modes: The first mode investigates gender and individual’s differences. The second mode looks at gender through differences in actions, presentations, and traits, and the last mode asserts that gender expression influences both men and women’s sexual happiness and operations in the society. Works Cited Beasley, Chris. Gender and Sexuality: Critical Theories, Critical Thinkers. London: SAGE, 2005. Print. Brownson, James V. Bible, Gender, Sexuality: Reframing the Churchs Debate on Same-Sex Relationships. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2013. Print. Hollibaugh, A. "Radical Hope in Passion and Pleasure." Desire for the Future (1996): 224-229. Print. Jowett, Lorna. Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan. Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan Univ. Press, 2005. Print. Lewis, Linden. The Culture of Gender and Sexuality in the Caribbean. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2003. Internet resource. Lind, Amy, and Stephanie Brzuzy. Battleground: Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. Internet resource. Lorder, A. "Uses of Erotic: The Erotic as Power." Sister Outsider Essays and Speeches (1978): 53-59. Print. Messinger, Lori, and Deana F. Morrow. Case Studies on Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression in Social Work Practice. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Print. Rahman, Momin, and Stevi Jackson. Gender and Sexuality: Sociological Approaches. Cambridge: Polity, 2010. Print. Yirssi. "Aint Nobodys Business: On the Polising of Female Sexuality." Celebrating the Fullness of a Black Woman (2014): 1-5. Print. Read More