Social Issues-Part 1
Elizabeth Putman
Professor Beshah, PH D
Sociology 101
January 24, 2012

How society defines sexuality. People commonly think of sex as sexual activities. Sexuality means much more this.
Human sexuality comprises a broad range of behaviors and processes, including those of the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, philosophical, ethical, moral, theological, legal and spiritual or religious aspects.
Sexuality includes: * Values regarding relationships, dating, marriage, sexual ethnics, sexual culture. * Psychology in relation to gender, sexual role * Physical factors such as sexual characteristics, sexual drive, sexual intercourse, sexual activities. * Sexual orientation, that is heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.
Describe the social category (ies) that may be affected by the social issue. A child’s sex is determined at the time of conception. Unfortunately, at the time of birth your gender will guide your life. From ancient Roman days, women have been known as the weaker and more inferior sex. If you were born a woman, you were a creature of inequality. Women have suffered through history fighting for their rights. In 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the first women’s rights movement, “The Declaration of Sentiments.” In this document she demanded equality with men before the law, in education and employment.

Here, too, was the first pronouncement demanding that women be given the right to vote (Imbornoni, 2007). Forty-two years later (1890), the National Women Suffrage Association and the American Women Suffrage Association merge to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) to campaign for voting rights for women. On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. To this day, a woman has yet to be elected President. In 1903, The National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) is established to advocate for improved wages and working conditions for women (Imbornoni, 2007). Socialist Robin Williams (1970) has indentified ten values that are widespread in the United States and viewed by many people as central to our way of life in today’s culture, # 1 was equal opportunity (Macionis, 2011) Sociology, chapter (3), pg 66. Society has granted women more liberal rights, but they are still treated with inferiority, as far as promotion, salary, and power.
Describe how society has changed over time in regard to sexuality. Sexual revolution in morals and manners began in 1920. It was a decade of social changes and profound cultural conflicts that many viewed as unacceptable. But for others, it represented liberation from the restrictions of the country’s Victorian past. Before the 1920’s the only women that were allowed in bars were prostitutes. They had to be conservative and wear clothing that was not revealing. Women were virtually excluded from employment. There was no such thing as ‘career girl’. During the twenties, the opportunities available to women changed, due in large part to the suffragette movement, but also to prohibition. Boyish dress and hair reflected a growing sentiment among the younger population expressing that females were equal to males. This concept was rather revolutionary for those days, even though it may not seem so now. It is unfortunate that the Depression all but squashed the burgeoning feminist movement of that time, or else women might not have had to fight so hard during the seventies.
Essentially, Alfred Kinsey set the stage for the sexual revolution with his 1948 publication of his first study of sexuality in the United States. It was a topic that many felt should be discussed in the privacy of one’s home. He wrote two books that encouraged a new openness toward sexuality. Macionis, J. (2011) Sociology, chapter (8), pg. 193. This helped to set the sexual revolution in motion leading to the true revolution of the sixties. The young dominated public life with their freer attitude toward sex and sexuality. The birth control pill solidified this attitude making sex easily assessable. Arbitrarily, we still had double standards between men and women. The sexual revolution had special significance for women. Men were encouraged to be sexually active, while women were to remain virgins until marriage. Women who chose to exercise their sexuality were labeled tainted.
Recommend two (2) ways of attempting to improve the social situation. Gender inequality damages the physical and mental health of millions of girls and women across the globe, and also of boys and men despite the many tangible benefits it gives men through resources, power, authority, and control. To Improve and strengthen the equality between women and men; we should support programs to transform both males and female attitudes to caring work so that men begin to take an equal responsibility in such work. Women should not be the sole ‘shock absorbers’ for families, economies, and societies through their responsibilities in ‘caring’ for people. We should work with boys and men through innovative programs for the transformation of harmful masculinity norms, high risk behaviors, and violent practices. By changing the feminist mentality of men, we may not have as many homosexual men who could not withstand society’s ideas of how a man is suppose to be. This, in turn, would also alert society of the strengths women possess, earning them the respect, and equality they deserve. These changes would strengthen our society, and mold it into a stronger and healthier nation.

References

*
Geerinck, J. (Ed). (2011, October 28). Sexuality in ancient Rome. Retrieved January 26, 2012, from http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Sexuality_in_ancient_Rome *
Imbornoni, A. (2007). Timeline of key events in the american women's rights movement
1848–1920. Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education. Retrieved January 24, 2012, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html

Macionis, J. (2011) Sociology, Thirteenth Edition Pearson Education (Ed.), (2010, 2008, 2007). The sexual revolution. (pp. 193) Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Rachel Snow (2007) Gender, Sex, and Vulnerability. Retrieved January 24, 2012, from
http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/csdh_media/wgekn_final_report_07.pdf