What does it really mean to be a "male" or a "female"? Are gender identity and sexual preferences genetically determined?
What does it really mean to be a "male" or a "female"? Are gender identity and sexual preferences genetically determined? Can they be reduced to one's sex? Or are they amalgams of biological, social, and psychological factors in constant interaction? Are they immutable lifelong features or dynamically evolving frames of self-reference? These are questions posed by social scientists regarding the differences between male and female. In this article on 'Sex and Gender', there are three schools of thoughts being discussed. Biological determinism, sex-gender theories and social constructionism. What makes a person who he is depends on the society and how he is being brought up. Being born a male does not been that a person will have masculine characteristics, it goes for a female. According to biological determinism, masculinity characteristics are assertiveness, aggression, competitiveness and logical thinking. Femininity characteristics are emotional, caring, nurturing, preoccupied with beauty and relationships, distrusting or less capable of logical thinking. In the society, there are many females who hold high position in companies and they have the assertiveness and aggression that some of the male counterparts does not have. Similarly, there are a lot of cosmetics products in the market that are for men. Who says that being a male, beauty is not important, as everyone
Female Juvenile Delinquency.
Michael O'Neill Professor Lohman Sociology 212 4/2/04 Female Juvenile Delinquency Girls are stereotypically characterized as calm and passive and never as delinquent or uncontrollable. However, it's important to note that girls make up a quarter of the youth arrested in the United States but the popular conception of delinquency is so tied up in boys delinquency that girl delinquents are often overlooked. To my surprise, young people can be taken into custody for both criminal acts and a wide variety of what are often called "status offenses" which include running away from home, a minor in need of supervision, being incorrigible, or need of care and protection. In fact, these offenses play a major role in female delinquency. For example, in 1995 well over half of girls' arrests were for either status offenses or larceny theft.1 Although most delinquent behavior theories primarily addressed males, Chesney-Lind highlights a theory that in fact accounts for gender. Girls and their problems have long been ignored. Thus, few theorists have considered the possibility that some, if not many, of the girls arrested have different sets of problems when compared to the boys. For example, in terms of status offenses, for which girls are over represented: well over half of the youth referred for running away from home (two thirds of whom were girls) and 92 percent of the
Masculinity in Crisis
To what extent can it be claimed there is a "crisis of masculinity" According to Scott and Marshall (2005) masculinity refers to characteristics that are appropriate to the male sex, traditional ideologies and discourses of masculinity are generally associated with men being naturally strong, aggressive, judicious, competitive and technically minded. Consequently many sociologists, particularly Feminist scholars have argued that such characteristics of masculine identity contribute to the systematic dominance of men's perceived power and authority within social institutions such as the workplace, the family and education. Over recent years, a great deal of sociological research has been conducted on men and masculinities highlighting changing characteristics of masculinity (Segal, 1990). Some observers have noted that alterations within social and economical climate in contemporary society is to be blamed for provoking a crisis in masculinity, in which men's traditional roles are being eroded, Faludi (1999) argued against the notion of male domination in the public and private sphere of society, stating that whilst some groups of men may still feel confident and self-assured in society, an increasing majority of men are finding themselves marginalised and alienated, particularly working class males. This has been attributed to the changing nature of the work in a
In what ways does gender act as a patterning variable on the activities of production and consumption?
In what ways does gender act as a patterning variable on the activities of production and consumption? Both production and consumption will be examined to ascertain in what ways gender can act as a patterning variable in these two processes. This will involve looking at how Adorno and Horkheimer's theory has been challenged (1979, quoted in Negus, 1997, P. 105). They proposed that in the 'production of culture' goods are 'standardised' and 'mass-produced', resulting in consumers being passive recipients (ibid). First, the discourse of 'corporate culture' (Peters and Waterman, 1982, quoted in Salaman, 1997, P.240) will be outlined. Next how it is used in the service industry will be discussed with reference to flight attendants, the retail trade and hotel industry to see the ways gender works in the activities of production. Also, the system of production, place, age and Foucault's theory (1982, quoted in du Gay, 1997, P.296) on the governing of organisations, will be considered to show how other factors can influence production. Second, consumption will be discussed with reference to Miller's (1988) research on kitchens, followed by the case study of Coca-Cola. Also, 'technological determinism' (Mackenzie and Wajcman, 1985, quoted in Mackay, 1997, P. P. 298-299) will be outlined and how McKenzie et al ((1985, ibid) claim it ignores the 'social processes' in relation
Sex Script Theory. This understanding of sexuality is best explained though a newly developed theory of human sexuality called the sex-script theory. This theory enunciates that we as humans, have all been embossed with explicit collections of fantasies,
Theory Paper Nicole Lee November Papaleo Due Date: 30 October 2011 By what manner do we intend to apprehend our sexuality? This question is vital, for it has been observed that sexual stimuluses' fluctuate significantly from differing atypical individuals. It is also evident that since the dawn of time, we have encountered within ourselves impulses that we only partially comprehend. As individuals we don't completely cognize why specific stimuli "turn us on" and why other prompts yield minimal sexual stimulation, we just identify with the universal end product which induces a "feel good" effect. This understanding of sexuality is best explained though a newly developed theory of human sexuality called the sex-script theory. This theory enunciates that we as humans, have all been embossed with explicit collections of fantasies, stories, scenarios and sex objects that we accumulate and hoard around with us in our heads, through cultural outlets. It is an imprinted fabrication of philosophies that we cannot learn from the observation of animals, thus vindicating why we are incapable of extracting erudition from the human sexuality of animals (Park, 2008). Furthermore, these sex-scripts are not acquired in resemblance to learning how to ride a bike. We somehow enigmatically assimilate, through a specialized method, how we are to perform sexually. Even so, such edification
Debates on Contemporary Gay Culture
Debates on Contemporary Gay Culture The rise of queer theory (not to be confused with queer studies which is a much broader critical theory of gender identity and sexuality) as critical discourse can find its historical roots in gender studies, lesbian and gay studies and feminism (to name a few) but its essence can be traced back to the cultural renaissance of the 1950s and 1960s. Queer theory concerns itself primarily with gender representation and the homophobic undertones of society throughout history. One of the principle societal issues undertaken by queer theory is that of gender labelling as a defining characteristic. The reference of someone’s sexuality (or racial background) as a descriptive term is still frequently employed in modern society and is prolific in both literature and film media. People are often referred to in this manner, for example ‘that gay guy’ or ‘that black girl’, giving undue prominence to this aspect of their being. Queer theory sees this practice as illogical and anachronistic due to the multitude of character traits that make up each individual, meaning that such labelling becomes non-categoric as it is not sufficient to describe (and therefore, define) a person by their sexual orientation or race (Jagose, 1996). The term ‘queer theory’ is attributed to Teresa de Lauretis who coined the phrase at a conference in the early
Discuss the influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society.
Ian NelsonIdentitiesYSE-1004 Discuss the influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society. In this piece of work the ideology of gender identity in western society will be discussed, the piece will draw on the theories of multiple sociologist and examine the role of gender inequality in society. The Work will briefly examine Gender Identity Disorder and its relevance to western society today. The concept of identity is defined as “A sense of self that develops as a child differentiates from parents and family and takes place in society” (Jary & Jary,1991). A person’s identity is what makes them whom they are and what groups they belong too. A person’s identity includes their ethnicity, nationality, sexuality class and gender. Our social identity is whom we are, whom we see other people are and respectively how other people see themselves and others. To sociologist the concept of identity is paramount, a person’s identity can take many facets that are ever changing, and with these changes there can be many contradictions. Many sociologists believe that identities are not simply formed because of the social groups we belong too. Some theorists believe our identities to be fractured and fragmented. Our identities can be and often are extremely stereotypical, one such stereotype is that of gender. “Gender is a term that has psychological and
Thesis Proposal -examining gender differences in the use of spoken language.
• Name of course: Research Methodology • Thesis proposal title: Communicative sex differences • Date: December 2nd, 2012 Problem From many years ago, men and women have experimented differences in the way of speaking. Sometimes, if you behave in different way from your sex you can feel discriminated or a strange person. The fact that you belong to a kind of sex; does it force men and women to behave and speak in certain way? Importance of Research This research will affect an important characteristic of humans being: communication. As we know, people use it to express things such as feelings, ideas and opinions. Also, it is vital in order to interact with other people. However, we usually make some differences between genders in communication; this is why we are going to research about the differences between men and women and find if the fact that you belong to a kind of sex forces men and women to behave and speak in certain way. It is important to research because differences between genders make generalization that cannot be necessary and it helps us to know what variances are real. Significant Existing Research One of the main characteristics of humans being is the ability to communicate. It occurs when two or more people share information about any topic. It sharing happens by talking, texting or writing each other.
Do trends such as the emergence of the reconstituted family indicate the durability or weakness of the contemporary family?
Do trends such as the emergence of the reconstituted family indicate the durability or weakness of the contemporary family? In today’s world, cultures and traditions have changed and the modern individual is more educated and independent. As centuries passed by, the role of the family has also changed and with the factors such as globalization and everyday routine to implicate in our lives, this role has lost its important value. The traditional societies that use to be in the past are now over and the modern ones have taken their position. People nowadays are so busy in order to work and earn money that they cannot take the same care of their families as they use to do over the past decades. As technology and the way of life change, families evolve into something new into the society. The last century men use to be the breadwinners in the house and provide everything in it. On the other hand, women were supposed to stay at home and take care of their children and husband. In the 21th century the role of the women also has changed, as they have more rights to work and vote. Moreover, modern business women depend on their selves and not on their husbands as they use to. As a result if they are not happy with their marriage, they are able to pay for their divorces. However, there are different types of families such as the nuclear, the extended, the reconstituted and the
Construct a comprehensive argument for constructionist and essentialist beliefs about homosexual identity development. State each position and defend each theory,
) Construct a comprehensive argument for constructionist and essentialist beliefs about homosexual identity development. State each position and defend each theory, using evidence from the text and outside sources. The term "homosexuality" is a relatively modern term, coined in the 19th century by Austrian born human rights campaigner, Karoly Maria Benkert. Although the label is modern, debates about sexuality, and same-sex attraction have ranged from Plato's Symposium to modern queer theory. Among sex researchers today, and within the LGBT community, few issues create a more heated debate than the one between essentialism and constructionism in the delineation of human sexuality. This debate has roots in social and biological sciences and addresses the dichotomy between sexual attraction and sexual orientation, and whether homosexuality is a biologically natural and innate (essentialism) or whether sexual identity is fluid, socially constructed and culture-dependent (constructionism). Throughout history, both essentialist and constructionist theories have been used to support both sides of the gay rights movement. In its essence, this debate raises the question of whether homosexuality, and hence heterosexuality and bisexuality, is socially constructed or is driven by natural, biological forces. Philosophically, the concept of essentialism originated in the work of Plato,