In modern societies, where all the former taboos on sex are abolished, one subject can still raise a wave of debates. People of almost all religious views and social orders are ready to accept and be tolerant to homosexual or bisexual people, but the issue over the female sexuality is still unsettled. The question how it differs from the male sexuality and why exactly the attitude to female sexuality is different compared to the male one is discussed by lots of psychologists, sociologists and philosophers. However, there is no coherent and competent explanation yet. “Sexuality is messy, passionate, unclear, tentative, anxiety-producing, liberating, frightening, embarrassing, consoling, appetitive, and cerebral” (Schwartz, 1994, p. 8), …show more content…
She writes that “it is an established fact that the idea of female sexuality prevalent over the centuries is not something given in nature, or biologically true, but is only a “cultural construction” (Kar, 2015, p. 24). Kar considers that by being culturally constructed, it absorbed lots of means to disempower women, and the medical sciences together with literature is two most powerful tools of this cultural absorption. Cultural oppression and suppression constitute this process. According to Kar (2015), “within this system, female sexuality was believed to be essentially passive” (p. 24). People believed this because they were taught that biologically female sexual organs were devoted to serve only one function that is reproductive one. Sexual fulfillment was out of the question, a luxury that women could not afford. Women were considered to be less sexually desirous compared to men. They were obliged to seek fulfillment by following their “natural destiny”, namely to be a good wife and mother. This all formed the stereotype of ideal female sexuality that is close to “neutral” because women should be modest, passive and even passionless. Such norm of sexual behavior was deeply rooted in many cultures and societies around the globe. However, some people were adherent to this norm, while others became the aberrant. Some women claimed that they had as much of the right to speak about sex as men. At the same time, each society tried to calm those who
“In men, in general, sexual desire is inherent and spontaneous” whereas “in the other sex, the desire is dormant, if not non-existent, till excited” (457). Greg’s terminology is extremely power-laden. “Spontaneous” has the connotation of energy and activity, whereas “dormant” and “victim” imply inactivity. An important concept is the assumption that men, the “coarser sex,” act on women, the “weaker sex” (457).
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
Human sexuality is a common phrase for all, and anything, pertaining to the feelings and behaviors of sex for the human race. Sexuality has been a topic that has been discussed and studied for as far back as 1000 years B.C. and is still being studied today. As the discussion of sexuality has progressed through history, theories have been created based on research and experiments that scholars have implemented, based on their own perceptions of human behavior. Out of the many theories that pose to explain sexual behavior, Sexuality Now explained ten that are seemed to be the most overlapped, and built off of theories. Of these theories, two that were discussed in the text were the behavioral and sociological theory. These two theories cover some of the basic ideas of what could possibly influence a person’s sexuality.
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
Thoughts regarding sexual orientation contrast were gotten from traditional thought, Christian belief system, and contemporary science and pharmaceutical. Men and ladies were thought to occupy bodies with various physical make-ups and to have generally unique qualities and excellencies. Men, as the more grounded sex, were thought to be clever, gallant, and decided. Ladies, then again, were more administered by their feelings, and their temperances were relied upon to be celibacy, humility, empathy, and devotion. Men were thought to be more forceful; ladies more uninvolved. These distinctions were reverberated in the issues to which each sex was thought to be inclined. Men were inclined to brutality, tenacity, and narrow-mindedness, while ladies' wrongdoings were seen as the consequence of their propensity to be administered by their bodies and their feelings, outstandingly desire, over the top energy, and
One of the first things that pops into the average person’s mind when they hear the term “rebellion” is a revolt against the tyrannical overlord. However, rebellion can also occur in the individual level. For many people, they rebel against stereotypes and their environment, not totalitarian governments. But in some ways, a tyrannical government and stereotypes can be very similar to each other as both are something that people rise up against. In Leslie Bell’s Hard to Get: Twenty- Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom, she drives home the idea that sexualiy for women is especially complicated because of the numerous stereotypes and confusion that surrounds it. Often, young women rebel against cultural norms to create their identity and do so by either
Attitudes towards different issues in society are adopted depending on the prevailing beliefs in such a society. Every trending issue in a society helps shape the attitudes that people develop and greatly influences their behavior. There is no question that every society has a prejudged perception and possible reaction to any event that may occur within the realm of the society. This prejudgment and reaction is often informed by the various experiences that the society may have undergone through in the earlier instances of occurrence of specific events. Leslie Bell, the author of “Selections from Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” largely focuses on female sexuality detailing the often confusing situations
Throughout the course of history, the consensus regarding traditional gender norms has changed immensely. Just the thought of going against these morals was unthinkable and shamed. However, as times have come to change, the challenging of these norms has become more accepted along with the notion that there are no
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?
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.
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.
Known as the Two Sex theory, devised by historian Thomas Laqueur, female sexuality would be characterized purely by a woman’s reproductive potential, where the concept of an innate maternal instinct would become the new prioritized ideal. The female orgasm was renounced by a new essence of masculine superiority. This notion can be asserted with the Phallocentric inclination of the late 18th century, examined by historian Tim Hitchcock, as period characterized by penetration and precedence of the phallus. This “both encouraged and made possible the denigration of female sexuality and perceived passivity.” Consequently this caused the de-emphasis of female sexual pleasure and desire. However, female sexual identity would reemerge with potency, attributed to social flux, the emerging field of sexology and disposition of the interwar years.
There is constantly cessation why women and men cohabitate, nurture, desire, and endure. Many shrug the similarities and differences to the side due to the complex nature that is involved in understanding the progression. Since the beginning of time, according to the bible, man was placed as the dominant sex, fending for the families well being. The woman has tended to the important jobs around the homestead as situations arose. Often in society, one will find himself in a battle depending on the views of the receiving recipients. Following is a dialogue explaining a safe and metro sexual view as a general whole.
Throughout history it is evident that human sexuality changes do to religious, governmental and societal influences. The perception of human sexuality has gone through many changes such as being very open and unlabeled activity; to being very “conservative” and a topic that shouldn’t be talked about in public or at all. In any case, human sexuality has always been a topic of interest because humans are sexual beings who want to understand the consciousness of themselves as male or female and see their personal response when encountered in erotic experiences with other individuals. Unlike many other species whose sexual force is strictly for reproduction, human’s sexual drive seems to be driven by many factors that intertwine with each other which leads to very different outcomes. Do to these obscure human emotions and personal gratification, sex is always shown every culture’s art, literature, social norms, and laws.
Throughout history there has been speculation about what influences sexuality in men and woman. Is sexual orientation biological or cultural in nature? There is a common misconception that sexual identity operate in parallel with gender roles( Sell, 2005 as cited in Wilkinson & Roys, 2005, p.65). Scholars have not came to an agreement regarding what actually comprise a person’s sexual orientation, however a sexual orientation has been deemed a cumulative experience and interaction of emotional and sexual feelings towards one or both genders (Wilkinson & Roys, 2005, p.65). The paper provides provides some clues as to what factors influence sexual orientation in men and woman.