Sexuality: Discussion Points from Chapter 8: (This
chapter combines a wide variety of issues surrounding; changing sexual mores; sexual
orientation; pornography; sexual harassment; prostitution; teenage pregnancy;
abortion; and sexually transmitted diseases)
1. The
distinction between “sex” and “gender”—Sex is biologically determined while
gender is socially determined. Biologically,
there can be but two sexes (excluding hermaphrodites) socially, there can be
many genders; (Example; the “nadle” of the
Navajo). What is meant by the term,
“gendered social order”? (This term is similar to what the text describes as
gender stratification). |
a. Primary vs. Secondary sex
characteristics |
b. The term, “sex” refers also to sexual
activity |
c. The text also refers to “sex” as being a
“cultural issue” (p. 192). This is not
the same as gender. What is meant here
is that societies vary in whom they allow to be sexual partners. Different cultures have different ideas
about who may marry, when they can marry, and how many partners they may
marry. Society also sets forth norms
about what kinds of sexual intercourse is permissible. (Remember the example of |
|
2.
Trends: Puritans preached that
sex should be for reasons of procreation only. Massive rural-to-urban migration in the |
3. The sexual
revolution also was related to the gay rights movement and to a rise in the
feminist movement. (Conservative
“backlash” referred to as “family values”). |
4. Sexual
Orientation. Hetero-; homo-; bi-; and
asexuality. |
a. Some forms of discrimination by sexual
orientation are legally banned (job or housing); while other forms are
legally approved (military discharges of openly gay men and women; marriage
prohibitions in 49 states; etc.). |
b. Estimates of the extent of homosexuality
in the U.S. vary—While 9.1 percent of men and 4.3 percent of women have
claimed some homosexual activity, a much smaller percentage (2.8% of men and
1.4% of women claim to be exclusively homosexual or bisexual). In general, about 5 percent of the |
c. Explanations of sexual orientation—nature
vs. nurture. A number of strong
arguments have been made for biological causes of homosexuality (Macionis, p. 196).
Social causes (socialization; cultural definition) have also
been offered. Foucault notes that
until the 19th century, little attention was paid to homosexual
behavior. “Socially constructed
categories” of hetero- and homosexuality did not exist. Historically, some cultures have accepted
homosexual behavior as “normal.” Macionis mentions the Chuckhee
Eskimos of |
1. These two explanations have different
consequences. If biology is the prime
factor, then society should not discriminate against homosexuals any more
than it should women, racial minorities, and the like. If primary causes are social, then some
groups may advocate social engineering to change the structure of society to
eliminate homosexuality. (However,
today with modern genetic engineering, these groups may advocate eliminating
homosexuality through biological technology). |
d. Changing public attitudes. Protests by gays led the American
Psychiatric Association to redefine homosexuality from a “mental disorder” to
an alternative life style in 1973. The
number of people who think that homosexuality is “wrong” has declined in the
last 20 years from 75 percent to 57 percent and a majority of adults believe
that gay people should have the same basic civil rights as straights. The term, “homophobia” is defined in Macionis as “an aversion or hostility to people thought
to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual” (p. 198). |
1. |
2. |
3. Countries that recognize gay marriage
with full legal marriage rights: Canada, Holland, and Belgium; Countries that
recognize gay marriage with limited legal rights: Denmark, Norway, |
e. In 1996 the |
5. Pornography:
“One person’s pornography is an other person’s
art.” How does society define what is
pornographic and what is not? Is there
agreement that pornography is a social problem? With the exception of child pornography,
there is not. Conservatives and
liberals come at this subject from different perspectives. Conservatives see it as a moral
issue—Pornography weakens society’s moral values. Liberals see it as a free speech issue, but
are concerned about how pornography turns women into objects and undermines
their power in society. Some studies
indicate that there is a relationship between exposure to pornography and
sexual violence against women and children.
But, this claim has been disputed by other research. Overall, popular opinion polls indicate
that half of the general public believes that there is a relationship between
exposure to pornography and rape. |
6. Sexual
Harassment: (unwanted comments,
gestures, of physical contact of a sexual nature) (p. 200): |
a. Two types: “quid pro quo” and “unwanted comments,
gestures, of physical contact of a sexual nature” |
b. 85% consists of men harassing women |
7.
Prostitution (Sex Work):
Prostitution is common in the |
a. Illegal in the |
b. Numbers:
Most prostitutes are women; but at least 10 percent are men. (About 66% of those arrested for
prostitution are women; 33% are men (but this includes both male prostitutes
and male clients of prostitutes—male and female). |
c. Types:
Call Girls; prostitutes (in brothels; escort services; massage
parlors); and street walkers. |
d. Terminology; The term, “prostitute” is
pejorative. “Sex worker” has been
suggested as an alternative by organizations like COYOTE. |
e. Child prostitution: Globally, there may be as many as 100
million children using the sex trade to survive on a day-to-day basis. |
8. Teenage
pregnancy in the |
9.
Abortion: There is a tremendous
controversy over this topic in |
a. Note how the two sides of this issue
refer to themselves—appealing to basic American values: Pro-Life; Pro-Choice. (You won’t hear them refer to themselves as
pro and anti abortion). |
b. Is there any possibility that the
opposing sides in this debate will ever find common ground? |
10. STDs
(Sexually Transmitted Diseases). Certainly
gonorrhea, syphilis, and herpes are serious concerns, but not major health
problems. The first two are
treatable. Herpes is incurable, but
less serious than gonorrhea and syphilis.
Except, that herpes can be transmitted to an infant during vaginal
delivery and it can cause death to the infant. |
a. The major concern under the heading of
STDs is AIDS. Aids
is incurable, and if it goes untreated, it is fatal. |
1. In the U.S. there have been almost
900,000 cases, since it was discovered in 1981. Over 500,000 of these cases have been
fatalities. There were over 26,000 new
cases of AIDS in the |
2. World-wide the situation is worse:
(We’ll return to this in the section on health). |
a. Despite current concerns over
bio-terrorism and biological weapons of mass destruction, AIDS is the most
serious global health threat, world-wide.
World Health Organization data from November, 2000 indicate that over
5 million new cases of AIDS were reported in the year 2000. World wide, over 36 million people were
afflicted by November, 2000, which surpassed even the worst predictions for
the spread of this dreaded disease (NY Times, |
b. |
c.
Today AIDS is growing most rapidly in |
11. Theoretical Analysis: Functionalism;
Symbolic Interactionism; Conflict Theory; Queer Theory; Politics and
Sexuality |