Issues in Human Sexuality - Essay Example

ISSUES IN HUMAN SEXUALITY Masculine and feminine - Defined Life in its visible forms emanates from the union of masculine and feminine and to a largeextent they are related to gender identity. Under this pretext we can define “Masculine” as that gender that does not give birth to offspring and “Feminine” as that gender that produces offspring. Gender in common usage refers to the sexual distinction between male and female and can also be referred to the biological condition of being male or female, or less commonly androgynous or neuter, as applied to humans, animals, and plants. Given our society’s fetish for dualism, there are but two sexes, so at best you have a line with The Masculine at one end and The Feminine at the other; Real Men and Real Women. Traditionally, we believed that the feminine role was an expressive one, and the masculine role as instrumental. Expressive activities of the woman fulfill internal functions, and man, on the other hand, performed the external functions of a family, such as providing monetary support. Gender identity, to a large extent, refers to an individual’s identification with male or female gender roles and behaviors and the labeling of different activities as feminine and masculine, which is largely a social construction based on stereotyped expectations regarding gender and perceived gender differences. It is recognized that individuals’ identification with masculine and feminine personality traits could vary when measured in different contexts or when gender identity was more or less salient to the other variables being examined-as found in the observations. Social relevance If we closely examine the whole thing, we learn that the gender role is a set of behavioral norms associated particularly with males or females in a given social group or system. All societies, to a certain effect, have a gender/sex system, although the components and workings of this system vary widely from society to society. A persons gender role is composed of several elements and can be expressed through clothing, behavior, choice of work, personal relationships and other factors. There is nothing strange in seeing that people spontaneously categorize stereotypically masculine and stereotypically feminine traits and job labels according to gender even when the task at hand has nothing to do with gender. They are grounded in perceptions of differences between these gender categories. These differences about gender and gender categories are in turn based on socially constructed, historically specific, and cultural representations of the social interactions that occur among gendered individuals through their relations to each other. All men are created equal. While this sounds great at face value, further inspection tells us that this is far from realistic and sadly may never be. One can examine any aspect of society whether it be race, religion, language, level of education, sexual orientation or economic status and notice that there are numerous characteristics and factors of identity that enable others to treat others differently. Even if the above statement was true, how about women? This stands in direct contradiction to the claim that we are all created equal. This gap between men and women can be seen in countless social arenas, such as, the workplace, the average household, educational institutions, even in government. This inequality between men and women is not something new to the world. However, it is a phenomenon that is rarely discussed and is in dire need of investigation and scholarship, which will undoubtedly assist in closing the gap between men and women. We still live in a society in which the worth of women is measured in their physical appearance and not their intellectual contribution or talents. The effect of this is the unconscious perpetuation of the understanding that women are inferior to men in our society. Men and women are enlightened to a variety of social differences in regards to sex through society. It would be a definite lie if we were to say that the sexual gap between males and females has not been changing over time because it certainly has. For our proposal we are stating that we believe society still places more emphasize on what a women dresses like and her overall appearance when it come to placing labels relating to sex compared to men. Most researchers recognize that the concrete behavior of individuals, of any gender, is a consequence of both socially enforced rules and values, and individual disposition, whether genetic, unconscious, or conscious. This is the obvious reason that certain tasks and activities have traditionally been assigned to men and others to women, that is, they have been considered to be masculine or feminine activities. These categorizations are to large extent social constructions based on our expectations regarding gender, and on our beliefs that gender categories are natural, unambiguous, bipolar, static, and individual. The elements of convention or tradition seem to play a dominant role in deciding which occupations fit in with which gender roles. Gender has both a practical and academic importance in many fields. However, it is obvious that both the masculine and the feminine traits and values are vital to creating a satisfying sense of wholeness in ones life – which ensures a better society. However, it is strange to notice that traits such as aggressiveness, competitiveness, ambition and dominance are often regarded as masculine while traits such as kindness, sympathy, and pity are regarded as feminine. This indeed represents a confused sense of values. Doesnt the Bible teach kindness, sympathy and concern for our fellow man? So, aren’t the feminine personality traits morally and intellectually superior to the masculine ones? Does this mean that feminine personality traits are in conformity with the moral teachings of the Bible and the masculine traits in opposition to it? It is clear that we have distorted images of both what the ultimate male and the female should be. Androgynous traits An Androgyne is a person who does not fit cleanly into the typical masculine and feminine gender roles of their society. Many androgynes identify as being mentally "between" male and female, or as entirely genderless. They may experience mental swings between genders, sometimes referred to as being gender fluid. Thus Androgynous traits are those that either have no gender value, or have some aspects generally attributed to the opposite gender – which are physiological, behavioral, psychological traits associated with individuals. At this juncture it is worthy to note the mythological projections, based on inherent views of ancient Hinduism, that each human carries within himself both male and female components, which are forces rather than sexes, and it is the harmony between the creative and the annihilative, the strong and the soft, the proactive and the passive, that makes a true person. Advantages of Androgynous sex role orientation A careful study of the findings reveals that androgynous sex role orientation is more advantageous, especially in the wake of phenomenal changes in Gender roles globally. Relationships as probably the most complex things we deal with in our lives as human beings. Our relationships with parents, siblings, extended family, friends, teachers, and bosses can all be very complicated, but its probably our sexual relationships that are the most complex and challenging of all and potentially the most satisfying. A full exploration of healthy relationships is beyond the scope of normal traits associated with masculine and feminine genders. Conversely, every aspect of sexuality impacts on our relationships: self-esteem, body image, personality, values, sexual orientation, communication, activity options, and biological sex. "A number of studies indicate that androgynous people are more flexible in their behaviors, are less limited by rigid gender role assumptions, have higher level of self-esteem, make better decisions in group settings, and exhibit more social competence and motivation to achieve than do people who are strongly gender typed." (Gender Issues). Individual traits, characteristics and values are aspects that serve as guidelines to help us make decisions about actions, behaviors and life choices. They reflect what we value and how we feel about the rightness or wrongness of things. No two people share exactly the same set of values. Values may change over time. As we have new experiences and receive new information, we may re-evaluate our values and modify them. What we think is right or wrong in any given situation may change when we find ourselves actually in that kind of situation. Androgynous person being rated as more physically attractive, popular and interesting, it is a reality that Androgynous sex-role has advantages over traditionally sex-typed or sex-reversed roles. The study further suggest that androgyny might be a more positive alternative for women than for men, since androgynous women were rated higher on all evaluative dimensions. The advantages of androgyny result in an individual who is typically more flexible than individuals who are either masculine or feminine. It is learned that our society identifies assertiveness and independence with masculinity. Femininity is reflected by behaviors such as tenderness and understanding. The theory of androgynous adaptability and non-androgynous behavioral restrictiveness is supported within several studies based on the postulation that individuals are more adaptive if they are androgynous. Summary: Androgynous men and women possess characteristics that are consistent with traditional gender assumptions but also have interest and behavioral tendencies typically ascribed to the other sex. Predictably androgynous people can range from being very masculine or feminine to being both masculine and feminine. A number of studies indicate that androgynous people are more flexible in their behaviors, are less limited by rigid gender role assumptions, have higher level of self-esteem, make better decisions in group settings, and exhibit more social competence and motivation to achieve than do people who are strongly gender typed. Most of the evidence collected thus far suggests that people who are able to transcend traditional gender roles are able to function more comfortably and effectively in a wider range of situations. Androgynous individuals can select from a broad repertoire of feminine and masculine behaviors. They can choose to be independent, assertive, nurturing, or tender, based on gender role norms but rather on what provides them others optimum personal satisfaction in a given situation. Work Cited Gender Issues. Chapter III. Page No. 77 Read More