Social Interaction with Lesbians - Essay Example

Running head: SOCIAL INTERACTION WITH LESBIANS Effects of Lesbian identity on the social interaction of other peoplewith lesbian person [Writer's Name] [Institution's Name] Problem Definition: The purpose of the study is to investigate the change in certain social interaction patterns with the person having lesbian identity and the factors resulting in this change of attitudes. Every society is distinguishable on the basis of values and culture status that dweller of the society have. Our society is no different. Lesbians are found in every social group according to the American Psychological Association, It is no longer abnormal to be homosexual than to be left handed. But still there are many taboos related to the lesbians and gays and they are discriminated on the ground of their sexual identity. According to Martha Barett, "Being a lesbian is a 24-hours-a-day role. It's not just having sex. You are your sexual identity- perhaps unconsciously. It covers everything- your personal relationships, your job, your plans for the future." The lesbians and gays have to face immense social pressures which can prove lethal for their lives as Pharr stated, "It is simply that a certain percent of the population is. It is not healthier to be heterosexual or right handed. What is unhealthy and sometimes a source of stress and sickness so great it can lead to suicide, is homophobia, that societal disease that places such negative messages, condemnation and violence on gay men and lesbians that we have to struggle throughout our lives for self-esteem." (Parr, 1988) It's not just the society but the close relationships also don't tend to understand how to interact with the lesbians and gays leaving them mentally disturbed and isolated as mentioned by Mei in the article written by Goossen for Pacific News services. Although the lesbians should not be provided with privileged or special rights but they should be provided with equal rights as other human beings. Literature Review: Homosexuals, in almost every society face discriminating behaviours or even subject to violence if they depart from the socially accepted codes of sexual behaviours. The violence against them remains underreported due to the marginalization and biased behaviour faced by women whose sexual attitudes do not conform to the generally accepted feminist attitudes. Women mainly confront the problem as their sexual desires are easy to be controlled and directed. According to the Amnesty International's research the discrimination against lesbian and bisexual women means blaming the women for violence targeted at them. This violence against them is often regarded as the sentence for not following the socially accepted sexual conventions. It's universally accepted that family is the most influential socializing agent. It is through this relationship with parents and siblings that the child learns to conform to group norms and behave accordingly. Adult caretakers interact with the child, and out of this interaction emerges the first learning of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. Measures of personal attachment among the family are very important in terms of person's drug use. The results we obtained indicate exactly the same universally accepted pattern, which point towards the accuracy of our results. Discrimination from the family members is the vital reason for frustration and hopelessness in the homosexual people in our society. The problem is prevalent in almost all the societies of the world. The homosexuals are not even provided with the basic necessities of life as healthcare. A study was conducted in Australia which analyzed the healthcare services provided to the aged lesbians and gays. Participants of the study stated their consents on their sexual identity and informed the way they liked to be recognized by their health and aged-care service providers. The participants of the study also reported In indirect form of discrimination in providing the lesbians and gays friendly services. The author of the study pinpointed the need for improving the understanding of the health and aged-care services providers to better understand and acknowledge older gay and lesbian people's sexual identities to enable improved access to services in the future (Hughes, 2007).It has been found in some studies that the acceptance of homosexuality is slightly high in the upper economic classes as they normally do not tend to stick their values as compare to the lower economic classes (Angela, 1995). Hypothesis pertaining to media responsibility is also supported by the many studies (Colvin; Keneth et al., As media has been proved responsible for increasing the awareness regarding different social issues, it is often argued by the researchers that the media is not playing its fair role in increasing awareness regarding the discriminatory behaviour of people against homosexuals. Before starting the survey process we had certain relationships in mind, which we want to explore, and we had certain conclusion at the back of our mind as well. This conclusion turned out to be just what we expected. . The hypothesis pertaining to the dependence of behavioural patterns towards the lesbians and gays upon education is supported by many studies. Education sets the standard of civilization and maturity. Better education draws margins between good and bad judgments. A person well equipped with education is in a much better position to decide about his behaviour towards himself and his family on concrete and rational basis. So higher will be the education, lower will be the tendency to discriminate or misbehave with lesbians and gays. The above reviews of the articles lead to the following hypothesis. TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS Hypothesis No 1: A random sample of 20 lesbians is taken. We want to determine whether the society is responsible for the increased number of social problems for lesbian community. Null and alternative: Ho: the society is responsible for the increased the number of social problems for lesbians .p=0.5 H1: the society is not responsible for the increased number of social problems for lesbians. P0.5 Level of significance: 5% Test statistic: Z=(x0.5np)/(npq)1/2 Hypothesis No 2: A random sample of 20 lesbians is taken. We want to test if facilitating awareness regarding the lesbians can better off the social interaction of others with them. Null and alternative: Ho: Facilitating awareness regarding the lesbians can better off the social interaction of others with them. H1: Facilitating awareness regarding the lesbians cannot better off the social interaction of others with them. Level of significance: 5% Test statistic: 2 =(a+b+c+d)(adbc)2/(a+c)(b+d)(a+b)(c+d) Hypothesis No 3: A random sample of 20 people is taken. We want to test if the attitudes of people regarding the lesbians and gays are related to social or economic class. Null and alternative: Ho: The attitudes of people regarding the lesbians and gays are related to social or economic class. H1: The attitudes of people regarding the lesbians and gays are related to social or economic class. Level of significance: 5% Test statistic: 2 =(a+b+c+d)(adbc)2/(a+c)(b+d)(a+b)(c+d) Research Method and Sample Selection: Organiza of Sample Surveys: The information for the study will be collected by undertaking face to face interviews by the sample population. The sample will be selected randomly from the lesbian community. The cutting edge of the face to face interviews over other data gathering techniques is that it is likely to provide results of the desired precision at relatively low cost and greater speed. The first step will be to determine what specific hypotheses are to be tested. The objectives of the study have been mentioned above in shape of hypothesis which needs to be tested. After the clear definition of the study objectives the next task will be the selection of a representative sample. Two important points are to be taken care: (1) the sample should be statistically random, (2) an appropriate sample design should be incorporated. The questions included in the interview will be framed in simple and straight language. The questions will be in a logical sequence in order to provide complete understanding of the sample perception regarding the enquiries. It will be make sure that highly personal questions should be avoided. 20 females will be selected from the lesbian communities. Ethical Issues related to Study: 1. First and foremost important ethical consideration is to take proper care of the privacy of the identity of participants and the data provided by them. 2. Sample size needs to be very appropriate neither too big nor too small and should be supportive to the aims of study. 3. The individuals should not be pressurised to participate in the study (through coercion, application of social pressure etc). 4. The interview should not contain humiliating questions that hit the self-respect of the sample person. 5. Participants should not be exposed to mental or physical stress. 6. Putting pressure on the participants not to withdraw from the research when they want to. 7. The researcher should not intentionally push the participants in the direction of perceived answers by the researcher. 8. The participants should not be maligned by attaching wrong statements to them. References Simon, Angela. 1995. "Some correlates of individuals' attitudes toward lesbians." Journal of Homosexuality, 29(1):89-102 Barret, MB. (1989). Invisible Lives, Morrow, New York, pp. 40-41 Carolyn Ji Jong Goossen, (2005). Beijing's 'Lala' Scene -- A Chinese Lesbian Speaks Out, Pacific News Service, First-person commentary, Mei Bin, as told to Posted: Jun 21, 2005, retrieved as on April 5th, 2009 from http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.htmlarticle_id=6e81ad04d8330315bc84d1befc65d002 Hughes, M. (2007). Older Lesbians and Gays Accessing Health and Aged-Care Services [My Copy]Australian Social Work, Vol. 60, No. 2. (June 2007), pp. 197-209. Pharr S. (1988). Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism, Chardon Pr, Inverness, Calif, pp.2 Roddrick A. Colvin, Understanding Policy Adoption and Gay Rights: The role of the media and other factors, The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, Volume 11(2), article 3 Wald, Kenneth D. Button, James W. & Rienzo, Barbara A. (1996). The Politics of Gay Rights in American Communities: Explaining Antidiscrimination Ordinances and Policies. American Journal of Political Science. 40 (4): 1152-1178. Read More