Gendered Sexuality - Essay Example

Gendered Sexuality al Affiliation Introduction This has exposed one to the knowledge on gender development and the perception in regard to studies done in the past. Over the years, different people have been having a mislead perception on gender by thinking that both male and female gender are closely related. In fact, looking at the biological orientation and anatomy of the human genitalia, some people have been arguing that the female genitalia i.e. the uterus and vagina is a reflection of the scrotum and the penis when looking at the male one. The studies that have been done in the field of gender development and the changes that have been experienced in the recent past have however shown different results portraying both gender as totally different not only in terms of biological orientation but also in terms of psychological growth and development. Through the readings that I shall rely on in this course and comparing that with the information I have gained, I shall address the topic highlighting the main concerns and studies that have been done to come up with a reliable model that can explain the topic. It is important to note that when we talk of gender in this course we are referring to the way the biological and physiological aspects of a person are portrayed referring to the disparity in gender. Sex is an important aspect of this argument as it’s through it that gender emanates. Through the different sex which are determined biologically one is supposed to have certain characters that pertains to that specific gender. Gender on the other hand is based on the social, cultural and psychological aspects of a person which has been developed through particular social contexts. This work shall therefore discuss the readings in the course, relate my personal experiences to the readings and also show how my perception towards the subject has been affected or influenced by the knowledge acquired. Discussion of the Course Readings This class’ readings consist of a number of studies and analyses done on the topic and which develop an insight of the whole idea. In Barbie Girls versus Sea Monsters by Michael Messner, he describes a situation that helps to understand how different children bare though being at a tender age of about four to five years. Children Constructing Gender uses the behavior of the children to show how children develop and how they handle different situations differently. The first difference is seen on the way the boys team i.e. Sea Monsters is named. The name which is got after they could not adopt Blue Sharks which was their initial choice. The name is different compared to the girl’s team which is Barbie Girls. In a normal situation, and using the perception people had in the past, children at that age are supposed not to have different interests but as it’s portrayed, they show different choices in naming their teams (p. 767). The boys are concentrated on their banner while the girls are not so much interested in theirs. On the contrary, they have a team float which is colored with their team colors and has their names printed. The Barbie doll which is three foot is an attraction to the whole congregation of admirers. The Sea Monsters are attracted to the girls’ song and to avoid being carried over their start chanting ‘No Barbie’. Though the girls seem unconcerned the boys continue and even disrupt their peace and it takes the parents intervention to cool the situation. This is important in showing the way boys and girls possess different interests and likes and their different way of handling issues. The girls have different choices from the boys and another difference is how they carry themselves when irritated. The boys cannot accept defeat and so they end up disrupting the girls’ peaceful song. This story shows the performance of different people according to gender. The children are opposing each other while the parents are approve their performances and ensure that peace prevails (p. 769). Gender structure and culture is depicted by the choices made by the children which shows the interests they have in their lives. Girls tend to like soft and cute things while the boys tend to like power things and aggressiveness (p. 774). Yen Le Espiritu in the article ‘all men are not Created Equal: Asian Men in U.S. History, he argues that there are many Asian American female newscasters compared to men (p. 21). However, there are few or barely no Asian male anchors. He therefore explains that the absence of male anchors in the U.S. society is a reflection of the racialization of Asian American manhood (p. 21). The Asian men are seen as less successful, less assimilated and less desirable compared to their female counterparts who are easily assimilated into the society, are attractive and more successful. According to Espiritu, the changes in gender structure and roles seen in the Asian society is as a result of the racialized and gendered immigration policies that were being enacted during that time. At the time before colonialism took over and when slavery was still a norm, the Asian men were subjected to the feminine tasks and that shaped their culture as it is today in terms of gendered roles. It is important to note here that during slave period most of the men who were sold often ended up doing feminine duties and so after colonialism they still adopted the roles. Japanese and Chinese men are also known to be smart in doing domestic chores (Espiritu, p. 22). Feminist scholars have done great work to break the mantle and disregard the ideologies that have been held over time and which justify women subordination. Through their various studies, some of which have been discussed and which will be seen in this work, they try to develop an explanation of the way gendered roles appear and the reason why some roles should not be used to hold women back in the society. Most of these feminist scholars want to show that women are not weak and in so should be accorded same respect as men in the society. I subscribe to this ideology. William’s Dolls is a piece that satirically addresses the issue of gender and what the society expects from it. Sheldon Harnick in the piece claims that William wants a doll so he can know how to dress a baby when he gets one day. According to martin in his article ‘William Wants a Doll: Can He Have One? Feminists, Child Care Advisors and Gender-Neutral Child Rearing’, in many societies the role of bringing up a kid or taking care of the dressing is given to the wife or the nanny if present. In conclusion he says ‘Cause some day he may want to be a father’. In this article he addresses the topic of gender neutral child rearing where both parents have equal responsibilities in child rearing. Liberal feminists try to expose the weakness in delegating the role of child rearing to women alone. They therefore advocate for both gender to take equal charge in the roles (Martin, p. 458). The social change brought is good in the psychological development of the child and they will likely adopt the things that they will witness being done by the parents hence the society will adopt a certain trend. Pascoe in the article ‘Multiple Masculinities’ conducts interviews with 20 teenage boys from two high schools to establish how boys coming from different subcultures engage with those who are thought or perceived to be dominantly masculine. Gendered identity is used to explain what the boys feel about themselves when it comes to perception of other people. Pascoe notes that the boys who term themselves as less masculine have their way of maintaining a sense of masculinity (p. 1423). The modern aspect of masculinity has encompassed hegemonic masculinity which is defined as the configuration of gender in addressing the problem of masculinity as a form of modern masculinity. Theorists of masculinity use the change I the society to address the way different genders develop and have a sense of identity. Personal Experiences The topic of gender and identity is well manifested in the society that we live in. It is possible to explain all the activities using the knowledge in sociology and what the society defines people in either gender. When a child is born, it has to follow a certain set culture in terms of gender. This will determine its identity. At various stages of its growth the parents will introduce him or her to certain activities that will help to establish his identity and tie him to the society. However, we are living in a world that is fast changing and due to the work done by activists who advocate for equity as well as gender theorists they have been able to establish that both gender are totally different psychologically and the differences they show can be explained in terms of their biological development, psychological growth as well as the culture they have been exposed to. In the article Barbie Dolls versus Sea Monsters, the boys’ mentality and the female’s mentality are exposed in the way that the two make choices. This is the same way one will see if a repeat of the study is done. At various stages of development, one will adopt various responsibilities and characters that will determine his or her gender. At the early ages, the boys tend to be aggressive and wanting to concur the others. This is depicted in the way the Sea Monsters name their team and also the way they feel irritated when the girls steal the show with their well-crafted work. The boys therefore resolve to disturb the girls which shows their aggression and the sense of winning. They feel that they have to be better than the ladies which could be a reflection of the society they live in. The parents on the other hand do not have any differences as they have defined their gender identities and they work to cool the little ones who want to fight. Looking at the article on the Asian men and their way of doing domestic work. It is evident that the society has its role in determining the development of our sense of identity. The pre-colonial period served to introduce the slaves to domestic work and so after the end of the trade they still adopted the trend. Today, it is seen that the Asian Americans living in the U.S. are able to adopt well in the society unlike their male counterparts. Looking at this and applying it in our daily lives, we realize that the society where we live in will always try to instill some gendered roles to us and hence make us to adopt them and pass them to the next generation. This is what gender theorists have been trying to expose and shun such habits such as male chauvinism and female oppression by assigning the ladies the position of the kitchen in the house. Child rearing is brought out as an important part of the child’s growth and it should be done by both parents. William’s Doll is used to show that men can also take up such responsibilities. Change in Perception Having gone through this work I have changed the way I view gender development and viewing certain sex as weak. Initially I believed in Biological Determinism as the only way that determines the roles of different sex and their growth. However, after going through the course, I have come across theories that have been developed to explain the role of culture and a closer look at gender identity as an important factor in determining how different genders will act on various occasions. From the feminist vies, the existing gender relations that we see emanate from social factors and not from biological factors. If a girl is brought up with boys alone, she will tend to adopt things that fascinate boys (Natalie & Bettis, 2003). This is the social aspect that feminist theorists have used to explain the situation. Through this explanation, I have seen it good to acknowledge and respect the gender differences seen in the society as people are equally important and the only difference comes in the exposure they have had in the past. I have also realized that the variation in verbal and spatial ability between opposite genders is a factor of the brain differences between the two therefore upholding biological differences to a certain point. Conclusion Understanding sex and gender has been a nightmare to many despite the many studies done to explain it. Initially only sex was used to determine gender. As the world developed, people adopted the theory that sex is acquired biologically while gender is constructed as the person grows up. However, in this course we have established that both gender and sex are mutually constructing with both of them playing important and different roles in the gender development of the given person. In understanding gender variation the research done has explored structural and cultural contexts which are the most significant in gender development (Hamilton, 2009). Gender neutral child rearing practices is a very important aspect of this argument. In this set up, the parents do not induce any form of gender identity to the child as they practice in activities that are the same. These may include activities such as domestic chores etc. This can be done by exposing the kids to all kinds of toys and letting them choose instead of buying them the one that you feel is good for the given gender. References Espiritu, Y. L. (n.d). All Men are Not Created Equal: Asian Men in U.S. History. (2). Hamilton, L. (2009). Gendered Sexuality in young adulthood. Double Minds and Flawed options. Gender and Society. 23(5). p. 589-616. Martin, K. A. (2005). William wants a doll. Can he have one? Feminists, Child care advisors, and Gender-Neutral Child Rearing. Gender and Society. (19). p. 456-479. Messner, M. A. (2000). Barbie Girls versus Sea Monsters: Children Constructing Gender. Gender and Society. 14(6). SAGE Publications. p. 765-784. Natalie, A. & Bettis, P. (2003). Commanding the room in Short Skirts: Cheering as the Embodiment of Ideal Girlhood. Gender and Society. 17(1). p. 73-91. Pascoe, C. J. (2003). Multiple Masculinities? Teenage boys talk about jocks and gender. American Behavioral Scientist. 46(10). p. 1423-1438. Read More