Egalitarians Double Standards

Modern, contemporary society’s mindset on marriage has shifted considerably over the years. Some research has noted the increase in early sexual experiences, greater acceptance of cohabitation and the increase in narcissistic tendencies, are complicating and muddying the ideals of what marriage means to people today. Research done on this subject resulted in several studies that found that spouses who did not believe that marriage would last forever, were less likely to commit to the relationship financially and were more likely to have extramarital affairs.

First, it is imperative that one knows what exactly patriarchy is: “a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and customs that favor men and withhold opportunity from women” (“Patriarchy”). Any social structure where men outrank women, where men are provided with an unequal increase in opportunities, or any system that instills stereotypical traits, or gender roles, falls under this category.

However, for women sexual fidelity is important for them to keep their honour. Chastity also is very important, as men do not want to marry a girl who has lost their virginity.

During the early 1800s into the nineteenth century it was believed that men and women came from two separate spheres. These spheres influenced the way gender roles were shaped and perceived. Suggesting that women belonged in the household, apart of the private sphere and men belonged in the economic world, apart of the public sphere. Men and women were understood to be polar opposites and because of this, women were oppressed. Female sexuality was defined as “passionlessness,” and only for the purpose of reproduction. We learn that women were considered “voracious” for expressing their sexuality however, men were encouraged to express their sexuality as part of maintaining power, prestige, and masculinity. (Cott, 1978, 222). Men

I agree with this definition of patriarchy, but like another definition which is, that patriarchy is a social structure in which individuals create and reproduce inequalities linked to sex, race, class, religion and any other differences. Sociologists see patriarchy as that cultural system that is based on the values of control and domination, in this system white men are the only full humans, while other men from different race and eventually other women are not full humans; they must seek to get the privileges of white women. Allan Johnson describes patriarchy as “a system what fuels competition, aggression and oppression, is a dynamic relationship between control and fear.” Johnson emphasis that we live in patriarchal social systems of group-based oppression, there are different grounds of oppression which lead to the separation of this society between people who are privileged because of this oppression and others who are unprivileged. In some cases, white women are considered to be privileged because of their color, while they are unprivileged because of their gender that they are oppressed by white

It’s a way to show that person how much they mean to you and that as long as you live, hopefully, that’s the first and last person you’ll have it with. Purity has become such a lesser issue and put in the background of priorities in a relationship. The standard in that sense is not what it used to be. In the book Lennia gets on the elevator and one point and realizes that she has slept with every man in there with her. This doesn’t seem to have much of an effect on her. IT doesn’t make her feel like a whore. More or less it makes her feel proud in a sense. They’ve been brainwashed to think that not only is multiple partners a good thing, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you stop and look around you, it’s clear this is beginning to happen. Statistics say that “50 percent of marriages end in divorce each year”. (Do 50% of Marriages Really End in Divorce?) This is a fact, and a scary one at that! This would be a reduced amount of of a problem if people won’t get into a marrage just because they’re having a kid together for

Sexuality is a particularly perplexing topic for young women. Bell notes that “Their (women’s) twenties ought to be a decade of freedom and exploration. But… I have found them to be more confused than ever about not only how to get what they want, but what they want.” (Bell 26) Yes, they are young and has so many opportunities in front of them. Yes, most of them have a college degree and are highly educated. Yes, there are too many choices and they are condemned whichever way they choose.

Patriarchy is a term that can be described as male dominance, making women inferior to men. Men and women always played in different roles in society, which causes controversy if we still live in a patriarchal system today. Men were always seen to be the alpha males and breadwinners of the family to ensure there was a steady income while women were known to be housewives taking care of the family. Being a woman in America has brought so much awareness to oppression and how women have been oppressed by men for years. Black women have been oppressed by white supremacy and they are constantly being stereotyped. “Women are animals, less than human, unable to think like men, born merely to breed and serve men.” Oppression can cause radical conflicts

In this patriarchal society, women find practicing sexual agency difficult because there is a double standard that exists in which being either “slutty” or chaste has negative consequences. Marilyn Frye (2004) explains this concept as the “double bind,” which Frye defines as “situations in which options are reduced to a very few and all of them expose one to penalty, censure or deprivation” (p. 184). Women cannot express their sexualities, wants, or needs in a legitimate and safe way because they will face punishment if they happen to be on either end of the continuum. Kristen Firminger (2006) suggests that women’s magazines define for

Chapters’ four to six in the books; Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America by John D 'Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman, Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality by Kathy Peiss and A Desired Past by Leila J. Rupp, the authors depict the history of sexuality by exploring various classes, culture, gender, race and sexual orientations. After reading the books, I questioned myself as to what is the meaning of justice and equality in terms of sex and gender. In modern societies, people are still arguing over controversial issues such as abortion, premarital and divorced wives’ child custody and homosexual marriages. I believe stricter control over women than men as women show their sexual expression and desire is unjustifiable. And it would only infringe on women’s freedom and equality in society. And after finishing the books, I came to the conclusion that the physical difference between the men and women was one of the reasons that led to the women being regarded as inferior in the past.

Human sexuality is defined as the capability of individuals to experience their sexuality and be able to express themselves as sexual beings (Hyde & DeLameck, 2006). Our interest in this topic is because with time, there has been a change in rules that control human sexual behaviour. The status quo in our contemporary society is much different as compared to an earlier state of conditions, and the change has, as a result, brought the evolvement in human sexuality. People 's view on virginity has changed greatly with a decrease of importance in regards to its preservation. Sexuality is essential to the economic, cultural, social and political organization of society or country. Our sexuality plays a fundamental role in all our lives regardless of age, sex or race. It forms a basic part of our personality and the decisions we make in what we do. One’s sexuality also consumes much of their time through behaviour or thoughts; at times every aspect of our lives seems to revolve around our sexuality. Studying sexuality is very important since human sexuality majorly contributes to social as well as personal problems. A lingering question concerning this topic is to what extent is virginity determined by the status quo and the rules that control human behaviour?

feminism, patriarchy is a male centered and controlled society and is arranged to make women

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

Patriarchy usually means a family that is male-dominated and headed by the father. It is a social construct in which men and masculine roles are considered to be absolutely superior to women and feminine roles. A society is considered patriarchal when it is male-dominated, male-centered, and male-identified. Being a male-dominated culture means that positions of power and authority in the political, economic, legal, religious, domestic, educational, and military spheres are usually reserved only for men. Male-identification means that a culture’s ‘normal’ way of living is based on men and their lives. Male-dominance means that the culture has been shaped by men in a way that mostly serves male interests. Patriarchal societies are male-identified because their core ideals concerning what is morally right, desirable or normal are connected with how they think about masculinity or men in general. They are always male-centered, with the culture’s focus is

It is difficult to imagine living in a world without the patriarchal roles that are present in society and have been throughout history. In the article “Feminist Criticism,” by Lois Tyson, the idea of feminism and how society has affected feminism is the focus. These ideas are seen because men have more of a voice in nearly everything and the oppression of women is very common; a society set up like this can be described with the term patriarchy which is “any culture that privileges men by promoting traditional gender roles,” where men are cast as “rational, strong, protective, and decisive,” and women are cast “as emotional, weak, nurturing, and submissive” (Tyson, 1). This thought that men are strong and women weak is not uncommon in