Unisex And The Utilitarian Ethical Dilemma Essay

Through my experiences with people of many backgrounds, as well as my education, I have learned to separate the idea of sex and gender. I still maintain certain traditional views regarding gender, however I’ve come to the realization that the social constructs of men and women are not, and should not, be as rigid. In my opinion, I have acknowledged that there are differences between ‘men’ and ‘women’, however these differences should be used to uplift one another, rather than to tear the other gender apart. For example, a family unit in which the man decides to take on the responsibilities of the

Culture often thrives off of polar opposites—hot and cold, bitter and sweet, male and female. By setting up these opposing constructs, one can easily find a set definition for each. A hot surface could scorch someone or a cold temperature could cause them to shiver. In the same way, a bitter substance would be less enjoyable to eat than a sweet one. These terms are often defined by mentioning their antitheses. Because it’s comfortable to embrace specificity and certainty, topics such as gender and gender expression often get simplified into binary existences—however, they don’t quite operate under the same parameters. In an essay entitled “Bad Feminist”, Dr. Roxane Gay explores and warns against the dangers of binary thinking. Throughout

In chapter nine of The Real World, Ferris and Stein (2014) describe the construction of gender and sexuality in society. They start out by defining sex and gender are not interchangeable, but sex is biological and gender is defined by social or cultural aspects (Ferris & Stein, 2014, p. 243). Furthermore, gender inequality was introduced into the chapter by expressing that in the past, females had less power in society because of their biological differences from males (Ferris & Stein, 2014, p. 246). Although, biological differences are not the only reason why gender inequality exists in society today. For instance, from a functionalist perspective, certain characteristics make women and men better suited for certain jobs (Ferris & Stein, 2014,

The stereotype that men should do everything for the women exists because of the gender roles society has placed on everyone. Although nowadays, people are becoming aware of the stereotypes and are accepting of actions that would fall outside the boundaries set by the gender roles. From the very start of the formation of man and woman, the two were significantly different. It is believed that even during the womb that the brains of the children are already wired to respond to sexual preferences in a certain way due to the hormones that are coursing through them. When an individual decides, and makes the declaration of what they are and who they are attracted to shouldn’t be discouraged, but instead encouraged. According to a study in the article “Between Pink and Blue”, Jean Malpas said, “gender and sexual orientation and convey that research shows that” in a “large majority of gender nonconforming children might become gay and lesbian” and how some children “persist in their cross-gender identification as adolescents and adults (6). In the third study, Malpas states that the “other children’s gender nonconformity will

Philosophical Foundation: One may wonder why such an absurd declaration should be allowed, let alone exist. It is not at all affected by the idea that “boys like sports and cars” and “girls like dresses and dolls”. That is perfectly fine and not at all the issue at hand. Rather, it is the idea that it is equally accepted for girls to like sports and cars and for boys to like dresses and dolls as well. Children, adults, all people alike should be promised the ability to wear what they want, act how they are, and have interests pertaining to whatever they desire - without ridicule. It is this essential part of life, of figuring out who one is as they mature, this individuality, that that gives we the people the right to abandon gender norms and strive for a country where they can be who they want to be.

Gender has been a big issue in society. Sex is biological, and it is through sex that gender is produced (which according to West and Zimmerman, “gender, we said, was an achieved status: that which is constructed through psychological, cultural, and social mean” (West and Zimmerman 1987, 125) - in other words, it is the categorization of both sex to act in a certain and acceptable way by the society, also known as norms) and can be recreated through human interaction and social life. All of this is being constructed by our environment; Inequality is being formed through identity. Everything all begins from when we are born. In society, it is believed that boys are tough while the women are believed to be soft and nurturing. There

The passage below from The Feminist Local and Global Theory Perspective Reader suggests that biological terms of male and female are not self-determined but pre-assigned. Once a person is assigned an anatomical category (in this case only being male or female) what they do with this information is how they are pre-determined to act. This cycle perpetuates the reoccurring gender roles that have been inevitably causing both males and females to be oppressed. Consequently, this is unlikely to change since until recently this is how things have always been when it comes to gender and sex. Throughout the reading the topics of both sex and gender are introduced on differently levels of complexity.

There are several sources that tell a person how to be a man or woman. Science tells us by recognizing the X or Y chromosomes. The media shows us through the physically ideal celebrities that grace the covers of magazines and flaunt their bodies in commercials. Sports, wrestling, cars, and blue for the boys. Dresses, make-up, painted nails, and pink for the girls. All of these sources, as well as others, have evolved into an expectation that has become institutionalized within society. This expectation, is placement and belonging into the binary system of person: the man or the woman. In Anne Fausot-Sterling's acrticles “The Five Sexes” and the “The Five Sexes, Revisited”, the

Although men and women have significant biological differences, the question whether gender-specific labels stems from these biological differences or are gender constructed remains a polarised nature versus nurture debate. Whether it is through the process of socialisation or genetic make-up, “gender identity” is given from a person’s birth, determining how a person culturally interacts and the expectations society places on them. Along with a “gender identity” comes a whole set of “norms”, “values” and so-called “gender characteristics”, which are supposed to define the differences between a male and a female. According to the World Health Organisation (n.d.), the term “sex” is often used to define the biological and physiological

Over the course of the semester the topic I felt that I analyzed and reflected upon most was sex selection. Sex selection is a topic that I knew very little about at the beginning of this semester, but I have come to learn a lot about and appreciate over these past few weeks. Sex selection refers to numerous methods that allow one to select the desired sex of their embryo. Technologies that include ultrasounds or prenatal testing followed by selective abortion, preimplantation genetic selection (PGS) for sex, as well as numerous sperm-sorting methods, are readily available for families that yearn for a particular sex of their unborn child. I have considered both sides of the argument against and in favor of sex selection, but my view is sincerely against sex selection.

Since the beginning of time, gender has always been divided into two categories, either male or female, with few instances that have stepped in between. As civilization has evolved, it has began to learn that this division is a lie, and that it is disgusting, disgraceful, hurtful and untrue at its rotten core. This is because this “division” has never counted for anything but a label and a set of roles as a stereotype, which was unjustly assigned at birth in a societal attempt to conform each and every unique soul into a shape that they cannot fully fit. There should not exist such standards and expectations that do not account for anything besides what one's body has to say, without asking the mind of the thoughtless vessel known as the body.

Maximizing the amount of happiness for the general population is key to solving ethical problems within utilitarianism. Kantian theory follows the same principle, but with greater emphasis on the respect for all things involved with ethical quandaries. Both have their critiques, yet both ideas are conceived in an effort to understand and conceptualize some of the biggest controversies and questions that evolve around ethics. This paper will be an attempt to delineate the key components that fabricate each theory, first utilitarianism and then Kantian theory and further provide justification for which theory I would adopt for myself.

Introduction Traditionally gender has been viewed as a simple binary category with certain dichotomies that exist between the masculine and feminine. The categorization is borne from the belief that because men and women are biologically different that is, different sexes, there will be a natural difference in the way they behave within the society (language use being an important aspect of this behavior). There is little evidence that this belief is based on anything other than stereotyping. Just by virtue that women and men are biologically different, the society believes that the men and women should behave different also and that each should be treated differently. The natural belief that men and women are different has led to the rise

Abortion by itself is a very prevalent aspect of life. Despite the controversies concerning the morality of abortion as a single unit, the world continues to allow the ethical, or unethical, work that is included in this practice. In this essay, the first problem that needs to be addressed concerning abortion is the question “when is a fetus considered to be a human?” Since abortion is so controversial, and the topic concerns abortion, for the time being of reading this essay, we will consider a fetus to be human at the time of conception. Though abortion is documented as legal, there are required restrictions to keep in check what is considered morally correct concerning humans and the decisions they can make. The discussion of this paper will reflect one of those restrictions, and that topic will be Sex-Selection abortion. This practice is illegal in many countries including: England, China, and parts of America. Highlighting the points, is Sex-Selection morally permissible, reasons to support this claim, why an individual wouldn’t, and can it be considered right using the Utilitarian perspective and practice, this essay will define, support, and refute to cover the various angles of this discussion.

(Sterling 1993:21) Fausto-Sterling further critiques the biological understandings of gender/sex by believing that sex is socially constructed because nature does not decide on who is seen as a male or female physically. Rather, doctors decide for the children what will be deemed as "normal heterosexual males or females," (Sterling 1993: 22) by the inhabitants of society.