Causes and Cases of Sexism in Society - Coursework Example

Name Tutor Social problems 1st August 1, 2009 Question 1 Sexual orientation refers to one’s erotic and emotional affection with regard to their sexual partners’ sex and gender, usually expressed in sexual behaviour, fantasies, thoughts and desires (Komblum and Julian 287). It determines whether one tends towards homosexuality, heterosexuality, or both. An individual’s sexual orientation is both a biological and social function. Biologically, an individual’s preference for homosexuality, heterosexuality or bisexuality is determined by his own genes, the hormones of his parents and the brain. Studies have discovered that mother’s with an inactive X-chromosome have high incidences of homosexual sons than those whose X-chromosome is active (Brittan 23). Similarly, women who are related to homosexual men are likely to have more children than those related to heterosexual men, hence increasing the incidence of bearing homosexual children. There are great distinction in the sizes of brain components between homosexuals, heterosexuals and gays. The environment and experiences that one goes through similarly have an effect on his sexual orientation. An individual who was brought up in a homosexual family is likely to become a homosexual, just as would a heterosexual or a bisexual. Peer pressure can also determine sexual orientation. It is also possible that an individual can choose his sexual orientation as he grows up and intersects with various forces within the society. It is not an easy task to assign any one of the determinants as solely responsible for an individual’s sexual orientation. All these must come in play. An individual born with genes that predispose him to homosexual tendencies must find an enabling environment for him to practice it. If nobody in the environment does it, he is unlikely to develop such tendencies An individual who was born without any homosexual traits could as well make a choice to be a homosexual without biological or social influence. Question 2 Sexism refers to an assortment of beliefs, attitudes, laws, policies and practices that are discriminative of individuals of one sex. It is founded on the belief that members of one sex or gender are inferior, incompetent and less valuable compared to the other. It could encompass hatred or prejudice against members of the other sex, often laced with certain stereotypes (Komblum 289). Sexism can find expression in a number of situations. In employment, sexism can be expressed through discriminatory practices, actions and words. There could for example be wage disparities between people of different sex performing similar duties. Women who make forays in professions previously dominated by men are often chided, and at times referred to as Tomboys. Training opportunities could be dished out to members of one sex at the expense of the other, depending on the sex of the person assigning such opportunities. At times, women would be harassed at their place of work because they are women, considered weak. During interviews, an employee may be asked discriminative questions on account of her gender. Cases of sexism are also evident in cases involving sexual harassment because of the discriminative nature of laws. If a woman was involved in a dispute with a man and the case was taken before a female judge, the man is likely to receive a harsher sentence on account of his sex. If the case was before a male judge, the man would be favored. A female rape victim would for example be told that she must have dressed provocatively for the rapist to have been tempted. At home, sexism is expressed through the assignment of certain roles to boys and girls. Women are often portrayed as wives, mothers and homemakers; and men as leaders and family providers (Blackstone 98). Fighting against women have also been used to reinforce the belief in male superiority and dominance. However, most laws against domestic violence are protective of women because men are considered aggressors. Question 3 Sources of sexism include socialization, language, the media, organized religion and the legal system (Komblum 302). Socialization begins at the family where children are given different treatment on account of their sex. At school, traditional role stereotypes are formally reinforced, and later in marriage, the woman play a lesser role of home maker while the man takes a more dominant position. The social cause of sexism can be countered by a deliberate effort by the fathers to share responsibilities equally among children, irrespective of gender. Students could also be treated equally in school, while both men and women would be given leave of duty to take care of family members. The language and the media usually reinforce of the stereotypes coined at the socialization level. So far, language has not been gender sensitive, and where pronouns are to be used for generalizations, the masculine pronoun is used. This reinforces male superiority. The media, especially in advertisements, portrays men as tough and strong, while women are portrayed as fragile, weak, and at best, sexy. These twin causes have been addressed by insisting on the use of gender sensitive (neutral) language. Religion also portrays women as being inferior to men, where they are meant to play subordinate roles in the church. Christianity for example says a man was created first, and then a woman from his rib. Women are taught to be submissive to their husbands, and in fact, most women mentioned in the Bible played subordinate roles to those of men. God is referred to as ‘He’ further reinforcing sexism. This problem can be countered by allowing women to play more prominent roles in religious activities, and making the language of the Bible gender sensitive to reflect gender equality. Lastly, it is assumed by the legal system that men are bread winners while women take care of homes. Property ownership is vested in men. Though the laws discourage discrimination and the work place, implementation of such laws is not monitored to effectively stamp out their abuse. In most cases, the laws tend to favor men. The legal cause of sexism can be countered by applying the laws impartially. At the work place for example, there could be laws that guarantee payment in terms of comparable worth, where people performing similar duties are paid at comparable rates. Question 4 The involvement of women into the labour market has affected the family institution in a number of ways. Because of their ability to earn a wage, women are now able to participate in meeting the needs of the family, a role that was traditionally meant for the men (Odem 69)). Though some women are able to combine both roles effectively leading to happy families, others resent performing extra work at home, leading to problematic families. Divorce rates have also shot up as a result of women moving into the labour market. The men are no longer willing tolerate problematic marriages, and would rather move out since they are able to meet their expenses without men’s assistance. People are also shifting from extended to nuclear families as a result of staying away from members of the extended family. Family sizes have also reduced drastically because more women are postponing marriages with the aim of developing their careers first. When the women are ready for marriage however, very few men are willing to marry. Question 5 Divorce refers to the lawful end of a marriage. Whenever it happens, divorce leaves men, women and children affected in different ways. All the parties are usually affected emotionally, when the once knit family has to stay apart (Komblum 342). Men are likely to lose some of their property in the settlement of alimony. Where the laws to enforce compliance to alimony are not enforced, the women and children end up living in poverty, and have to often rely on public assistance. The children on the other hand get bewildered, traumatized and frightened as they walk into the unknown. Quite often, they have to be given professional counseling services to stabilize them emotionally. Question 6 Same-sex marriages are a form of homosexuality. In the first place, such a relationship is likely to lead to the extinction of families because of their inability to procreate. Homosexual relations are also known to be fertile breeding grounds for HIV/AIDS (Komblum 360). It is also hard for same-sex marriage partners to convert to straight sexual orientation because of its addictive nature. Same-sex marriage partners are also considered perverts in most societies, and are shunned by the rest of the society. Same-sex marriages are to some extent safe, especially lesbian liaisons because they have lower risks of transmitting HIV/AIDS. Because of their inability to bear children, people in same-sex marriages can choose to adopt children who would otherwise have lived without the warmth of a family. Laws allowing same-sex marriage are a threat to the institution of marriage. This is because marriage is said to be a legal union between man and woman, and not people of the same sex. Any union contrary to this runs against what is traditionally regarded a marriage. Children, save for normal biological exceptions, are a natural consequence of a marriage. This is impossible in same-sax marriage. Question 7 There are three basic sociological perspectives relating to education. These are the functionalist, the conflict and the interactionist perspectives (Komblum 368). The functionalist perspective holds the view that public schools have problems because they lack the wherewithal to handle students from dysfunctional homes. Functionalist theorists believe certain groups have educational problems arising from their deviation from the accepted achievement norms. They hold that institutions must shape educational institutions to make them operate in tandem with the changing economic and cultural trends. According to the conflict theorists, problems in education stem from a conflict of views on educational goals. They posit that schools are a reflection of the values of different groups that dominate the society. Educational institutions should therefore seek to reconcile all these conflicting groups. The interactionists on the other hand believe that the labels attached to students become a permanent feature in their lives. These are labels such as achievers, underachievers rebels and so on. Educational institutions can help shape the students’ future by giving them positive labels and ensuring equal access to educational opportunities. Question 8 There should be investment in early-childhood education because it lays the foundation that can ensure good achievement and attainment in future. Similarly, places where early-childhood centers are located could translate to major educational centers in future. The benefits of investing in early-childhood education outweigh the costs because a child with a good foundation can achieve tremendously and with time, help recoup the resources that went into developing such centers. An educational system should, among other things, mould the human capital necessary fro national development. Investing in the education of the youth therefore ensures the country has a reservoir of skilled labour for her needs. Question 9 The No Child left Behind Act aims at making sure that all children get access to basic education and that at each level, he should be able to productively serve the nation. Programs should be developed in such a way that they meet the specific needs of each individual student. It has also made educational opportunities at the university available to all equally. Educational opportunities have also been widened. Its disadvantage is that it is rather costly, and could be open to learners with questionable abilities accessing the university, where they are likely to perform poorly. Works cited Brittan, S. Sexism and Sexual Orientation. Washington: Pride Publications, 1988. Blackstone, G. Sexism Explained. Greenland: Oracle Books, 2004. Kornblum, William & Julian, Joseph. Social Problems, 13th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009. Odem, M. The Same-Sex marriage: Perversion? New York: Fine Touch Books, 2001. Read More