Sexuality and Society as We Know It

Scientist believe that gender is constructed, or created, through our interactions with other members of society. Dr. War, (Name of prof changed for security purposes), a Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center,  spoke with my class this past week about sexuality and Gender, and shared his outlook on the topic, and made some really valid points. He began by explaining that sexuality and gender consist of five institutions, which are: (G.R.E.E.F. for short)

1.      Government

2.      Religion

3.      Economics

4.      Education

5.      Family

For example, raising children would be categorized under family, but if those children were put into foster care, they now would be categorized under government, because ACS is run by the government. In one way or another, their all connected.

            Sex also has a lot to do with biology. In the United States, we tend to classify people as being male or female, but in other societies, they have a different classification system and people are treated differently based on the norms associated with that system. Nevertheless, gender refers to the culture and performance of masculinity and femininity.  Gender also, is a range of physical, biological and mental behavioral characteristics associated differently between male and female. To illustrate, when you go out on a date for first time, one of the first questions asked is “What do you do for a living?”, and usually based on that answer, you will determine if you will pursue that relationship any further.

Sexuality also ia mental aspect of being human throughout life, and deals with sex and gender, and identities with roles played in society. In other words, sexual orientation, eroticism, fascism, intimacy, and reproduction, are all examples of those roles. Sexuality can also be experienced through thoughts, like fantasies, desires, attitudes, and values, which are roles practiced in relationships. Another example would be, when you get dressed in the morning, you pick out your best looking clothes to wear, and for woman, they take their time looking in the mirror, and make sure their makeup is on properly.

            Other important components involved with sexuality are:

1.      Sexual desire: Attraction to another human being

2.      Behavioral: what you will and will not do

3.      Identifying: How someone defines their sense of self as a sexual human being.

             Sexuality and gender is also linked to power, relationships, institutions, and a system of regulation and reward. For instance, in a relationship, the man knows if he treats his woman good,  his reward might be sex. With that being said, the woman is the one holding the power, because if she’s not happy, no love making for you buddy.

            Sex and gender also affects a significant aspect of our lives; even lifespan is different by gender. Women are also disadvantaged in institutional settings in our society. Woman tend to be associated with doing house work, earning less on average that males in the work place, and remain more likely to live in poverty.

            To summarize, gender and sexuality plays a major role in our lives through out the world. It can give emotion and feelings in a relationship between a man and a woman. It can show testosterone, by having a man want to portray that tough guy role to impress a woman. It can have a man who is a male on the outside, but feels like woman on the inside, trying to figure out, where they stand in society. It could have that woman whose a female outside, but feels like a guy on the inside, confused or looking for answers, that they can't find at home. All of these things are part of this equation, and learning about it, helps us better understand this complicated miracle, known as a Human being, not a Color.