Gender, And Sexuality Studies

There are various perceptions of gay and lesbian couples that they represent a more egalitarian relationship. (Civettini 2015:1) However, when same-sex couples are observed there is still a tendency to believe that the relationship contains a masculine and feminine figure following the heterosexual model. So, it is necessary to address both how these couples deviate from society’s norms as gay individuals but might still be reproducing the same behaviors as heterosexual couples because the ideologies are so deeply rooted in social institutions. The stereotypical connotations of masculinity and femininity influence all aspects of American society and gender display relies heavily on meeting those given expectations. So, in the case of this article, the author Civettini views a connection between sex, gender, and sexual orientation when it comes to displaying

Sociologists reject the idea that behavioural differences between men and women are biologically determined. Outline the key grounds for this rejection and discuss what this means for a sociological understanding of gender.

Dracula can be read as an almost transparent metaphor for the confusion, guilt and anger over what is considered to be the ‘proper’ role of women in Victorian society. The ‘vamping’ of a human female - such as in the case of Lucy - succeeds in adding a sexualised and sexualising element to women, who - according to the time period - are then only ‘purified’ through further sexual and violent acts, such as being penetrated by a wooden stake (Skal, 31).

For example, some people believe that lesbians are not a real sex experience because there is no phallus involved. This translates to the idea that there needs to be a man and a woman, or aka, the dominant and the submissive. Therefore, women cannot emulate masculinity- only a man can assume that role. Not even butch lesbian women could mirror that aspect, and if a woman were to claim that feature then they were pretending to be man. Therefore, a stigma gets attached to lesbian relationships, and renders the butch as a less desirable being. While in the 19th century Butch-Femme was a more prominent trend in lesbian relationships, it does not translate to today’s times (Smith and Stillman). In itself, this occurrence may be a revolt, and may be one of the main contributions to the lightening of homosexual views as ‘revolting’. On the one hand, common lesbians are stereotypically viewed as obese, short haired, and ‘ugly’ women. On the other hand, with the rise of online dating apps, especially for the homosexuals, more attractive women are gradually coming out to shed the image of the stereotypical lesbian. Consequently, lesbian women are demeaned as only something physically appealing to look at by others, as observed by the considerable porn websites like Pornhub categorizing lesbian porn under a ‘straight’ category. Likewise, while female body issues are in general more prominent in the media than men, males are experiencing increasing pressures to attain a certain

For years, many scholars have provided many discussions over the topic of gender and sexuality. However, one needs to ask themselves: Are these two topics, gender and sexuality, useful as a category for historical analysis? The articles written by both Joan W. Scott and Afsaneh Najmabadi, answer such a question. By critically examining and assessing their two article, can the usefulness of gender and sexuality as a category for historical analysis be proven.

My beliefs and view on the gender ideology towards work and family is more weighed on one side (Masculine) and partly on the other (Feminine). It is evident that the ‘Masculine’ gender is more dominant in our society and because of this; there is more expectation and responsibility for the masculine gender. However, there is a continual inclusion trend in which we are witnessing the feminine gender assume some roles of the masculine gender. But overall, the masculine effect is still dominant. I personally feel that there should be a good balance of work and family responsibility by the men. It is necessary that the ‘Men’ are mostly responsible for taking the role of the breadwinner of the family therefore, the working hours of the men would have to be met as required by the employer. For example, working 40 hours a week is the minimum in the US but varies in some other places. In a case whereby the man has to take an overtime shift just to meet the needs of the family.

“…there are lesbians who affirm that “women and men are different species or races (the words are used interchangeably): men are biologically inferior to women; male violence is a biological inevitability…” By doing this, by admitting that there is a “natural” division between women and men, we naturalize history, we assume that “men” and “women” have always existed and will always exist.’”

Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (free dictionary, 2009). There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exists all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of a male

What does it take to be a man or a woman? Our sense organs alone do not determine whether we are men or women. Our gender includes a multifaceted combination of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do we act, behave, and talk like a man or a woman? Each one of us has a sex, a gender, and a gender identity that are all aspects of our sexuality. These aspects describe who we are, in different personalities and attributes but related. Society’s categories for what is masculine and feminine may not capture how we truly feel, how we behave, or how we define ourselves.

Sexuality is an issue that has been widely discussed and has often been misunderstood by society. It has often been a misconception by members of the heterosexual community that all lesbians want to be men. Through applying common sense, it can be understood why people may think gay women want to be men when looking in on the lesbian community, some lesbians prefer to express themselves and their sexuality through the way they dress and act; their short hair, masculine clothing, wearing no make-up and their macho

Males and females are classed differently from the moment they are pronounced boy or girl. Gender determines the differences in power and control in which men and women have over the socioeconomic determinants of their health, lives and status in their community. Our society moulds how men and women should and should not behave and can be observed in all parts of our society. As a result of these Gender stereotypes men and women have issues which affect their health which are unique to each gender. Males for example are perceived to be greater risk takers as a whole in our society than that of females. We represent risk taking behavior with masculinity and violence, high speed driving and contact sport with the male gender. (Doyle 2005)

Gender and sexual orientation is a topic that has been and still today is not talked about in such a way it should be because of how society has chosen to structure and control it. Social stratification is a system in which groups of people are divided up into layers according to their relative privileges (power, property, and prestige). It’s a way of ranking large groups of people into a hierarchy according to their relative privileges (Vela-McConnell 2016). People, who deviate from the norm of the “accepted” gender and sexual orientation that society has placed upon us, are stratified below the norm of a dominating binary gender and sexual orientation. People who are queer face the struggle of mistreatment and an unaccepting society that has been socialized to see and act on gender and sexual orientation to being a dualistic system.

Society is not understanding of what is considered different from the normal. The stereotype that men are masculine and women are feminine is not the reality of gender versus sex. In “Sexual

When you think of the word lesbian, it probably conjures up an image in your mind, one of pornography, of two conventionally attractive women going at it. They may exist for your pleasure inside your computer screen, but they do not—and will never—exist for you in real life. Lesbian porn isn’t something most people are unfamiliar with; it is not something people hide from in shame, because it is not taught to be a shameful thing. Why do we view real people in this way? Most people have been trained to view lesbianism as a false identity, that it is not possible to have a life without men. Therefore, lesbian porn isn’t viewed as fetishization by most people. It exists as a way for men to take ownership of a woman’s sexuality to prove their all-encompassing masculinity. Men want to be so attractive, so worthy, as to think a woman acting sexually with another woman must be for him, as she cannot exist on her own. Or, they think they can turn even a woman devoid of attraction to men, into one who will love and devote herself to him. By viewing and projecting an actual identity as a fetish, they turn an identity so void of men into a purely sexual action that exists only for their pleasure.

Homosexuality has been a very controversial topic socially and religiously. Many men and women who are homosexual, fear the consequences of being different from these two types of categories. Along with homosexuality comes stereotypes that belittle the gay community and individuals. Sexual prejudice also takes the spotlight in media that contradict gays and lesbians. Overall, homosexuality is a sensitive topic of self-opinion.