Sexism : A Negative Impact On Sexual Health

While studying art and popular culture in class, our class came across a very interesting topic and story. Throughout time everything has changed in humanity, in the way that humans look at one another. Now in the 1980’s when the whole AIDS and HIV epidemic started that’s when the whole world saw the disgrace in each other. Now in class learning about the disgrace that women had upon the world because of HIV and AIDS has really changed in a way that women are not allowed to be free within themselves anymore. The woman of today have to deal with sexism, classism and even racism just in order to survive in this world. But even through all of this women are still strong and fight for what they believe in and never give up, no matter what

During the 1950’s, many American educational videos were polarized towards the male gender, especially in sexual education videos for adolescents. After reviewing a sexual education video that was produced during the 1950’s, I can infer that society during this time period was very male-dominated and strictly abided by traditional gender roles since it prioritized the curriculum of a male’s reproductive system. Although today’s society no longer defines a woman as a passive, stay-at-home mother and has started to embrace the minority of individuals who identify with various sexualities and genders, I can deduce that there were no major changes in sexual education from the 1950’s and now. This is because there is a lack for comprehensive sexual

Sexuality is a quagmire of ambiguity and frustration, especially during adolescence. The unpredictable hormonal ups and downs of puberty are difficult enough, without the societal pressures of abstinence versus promiscuity. The double standard of boys sowing their wild oats and slut shaming are still as prevalent today as they were in the 1950’s.

Long before the development of iconic male-dominated American culture, the ideals of a patriarchal society have been implemented within the foundations of multiple civilizations, serving to dictate the actions of its individuals under the black-and-white confines of social constructions like gender roles, gender binary, sex roles, and many other aspects of everyday life that are still present at this very moment. One of the most crucial elements of contemporary American society that these limiting patriarchal values have latched onto is the comprehensive sexual education of its youth. Undoubtedly, those who need it most are almost always doomed to receive the short-end of the stick with the introduction

Today 's casual sex culture and sexual risk may consist of adverse outcomes, as well as, emotional and psychological harm, sexually transmitted infections, sexual violence, and unintended pregnancy, despite the ubiquity of certain positive feelings.

The article Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Better Be Prepared: An Analysis of the Rare Sexual Health Messages in Young Adolescents’

Gender roles are social constructs that defines what sort of behaviors are acceptable for men or women. These rigid expectations teach people through socialization that we should think, speak, dress, and be a certain way depending on which gender we are. When we are young we learn the behaviors that are socially appropriate for males and females; these behaviors are often based on gender stereotypes. For example, women are expected to love shopping and take care of domestic duties like cleaning the house, while men are expected to love sports and to work outside the home in an industry like construction or engineering. While men and women do have distinct differences that can 't always be chalked up to social imposition, these ideas of what it means to be male or female can be very harmful to people 's identity. People are often judged and scrutinized for failing to fit into the box society creates for them based on their gender. There are quite a few double standards that exist regarding gender. It is unfair to judge people more harshly for something based solely on their gender, and one common example of this is sexual behavior. Women are judged harshly for the same sexual behavior that men are praised for. This sexual double standard can have devastating effects on women who get labeled as “sluts.” Men who are thought to have a higher number of sexual partners or be more sexually

Men don’t seem to face as many issues as women do when it comes to their virginites, an unfair advantage many women have come to accept. Unfair treatment regarding their bodies also seems to have a negative impact on women and their perceptions of sex. Antoinette Landor and Leslie Simmons use their article about virginity pledges to point out just how unfair this treatment seems to be. In this article they elaborate that not only were boys less pressured into virginity pledges but also "gender differences for the influence of religion on sexual behavior have been reported. For example, women were less likely to report engaging in risky sexual behaviour due to religious values" (Landor and Simmons 1103). Boys are more likely to endanger themselves

Common tools for AIDS education are videos shown to adolescents in a variety of forms. Although, these may be useful they are generally rife with problems that could give young men and women the wrong notions about sex and STD prevention and perpetuate the double standard between genders. A study of the common videos used in several high schools showed that women are expected take responsibility for any sexual activity (Steele 398). Many of the videos are directly addressed to women or implicitly addressed using confusing statements and the use of male pronouns that would go something like “Find someone you can be in a monogamous relationship full of love and respect. Give this person your trust and expect him to trust you and stay true to you as you are to him.” The message for women specifically is subtle, but it’s there.

Imagine living in a society where there are no regulations on the sexual health education curriculum. What if there are no guidelines that require educators to provide medically accurate, culturally appropriate, and unbiased sexual health information? What if health educators are expected to stress abstinence and discourage sex outside marriage? This supposedly mythical society actually exists and may even represent the typical approach to sexual health education! The sexual health education that adolescents receive today, whether through formal or informal education, does not incorporate the concept of female sexual pleasure due to an overemphasis on reproduction; potential dangers of such an incomprehensive approach are that sexual double

Power and gender expectations are an important element of sexual risk taking behaviours. Gender beliefs like 'the more sex I have, the more manly I will be' or 'always listen to what your boyfriend wants even if you don't want to so he doesn't break up with you', pressure many females and males into engaging in sexual behaviour that they may not want and as a result, increase their risk for unexpected pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Sexism, racism, and violence have been a part of the world since the beginning of time. Everyday, it is clear that issues such as these continue to play a role in the lives of many people. Our society has moved forward in the direction towards ending racism, sexism, and violence, but these changes still do not meet the standard of decency. Despite the modern movement for women’s rights being implemented into today’s society, as well as efforts to eliminate racism and violent language, humanity needs to become more progressive in order to create a truly equal society.

Sexism is synonymous to gender discrimination. It refers to the discrimination of persons basing on their gender. Sexism is based on traditional stereotypes and definitions of gender roles in the society which presumes that one gender is more superior to the other. It is an undisputable social problem which mostly affects women and girls, generally the female gender. The origin of sexism can be traced back in the 19th century in Egypt where women were not allowed to perform or engage in some activities. They were defined as inferior. It was also witnessed again in Rome. Sexism is largely a belief and not a policy. It tends to set boundaries and demarcations between the two genders, female and male, by stipulating what men and boys ought to do, and what women and girls should do. I the society, sexism is largely exercised against the female gender. It is set to retain the status quo of male chauvinism and dominance over the female gender. It tends to pin down the female gender in education, economic issues as well as social and political affairs. The definition of female gender as a lesser being is not based on facts but just stereotypes which the society has escalated to a higher level resulting in gender inequality (Tepperman, L., & Curtis).

“Almost all of the men in our cohorts underwent a similar process of socialization centered upon a predatory script in adolescence as a legitimate phase of sexual experimentation” (375). As adolescence, men are all more likely to want sex based off of the pressure of wanting to assert their masculinity along with other biological reasons. As the men age some tend to change from predatory script to others, such as respectability or intimacy.

There are certain assumptions made by society that are likely to make a women accused of witch craft such as social status, age, and marital status. It is clear that the gender and sexual issues among men and women are a contribution towards those who were punished for witch craft. Women who were blamed for witchcraft had very little sway to change the minds of others once that seed was planted. Even though a woman may be poor or even unmarried these were characteristics that made a woman more likely to be an easy target to blame mishaps on.