Sexuality as Life Aspect

Sexuality is an intimate and private aspect of human life. The majority of people keep their sexual secrets because they do not want to share their sex-related fantasies, memories, and dreams with their partners. Most people are often unable to admit that they have a certain kind of gratification or stimulation because they believe it is strange (Einwohner 148). Women had a difficult time admitting to themselves a few decades ago that they still desired sex. However, since it touched on the topic of sexuality, the free public improved and dialogue knowledge. This article would go into more detail about sexuality in our cultures. Today’s societies are paradoxical because the public claims are made periodically over-sexualization since many people still experience the false expectations and unnecessary pressure about sex. Lack of information, in this case, causes faulty assumptions. In most circumstances, many couples enter into sexual problems particularly through the pitfalls of trying to reconcile their sexual desire and wants because of lack of information. According to research, there are many ways of resolving such issues. One way is to help individuals find their ideas on how they are going to enjoy their sexual context by solving the sexual problems they face. The knowledge about sexuality has, in this case, occupied a lot of uncertain status. For instance, in today’s world, matters pertaining sexuality are usually processed in the parliaments because of the support of the government bill.

Every stage in history defines sexuality in different perspectives and meanings. For instance, in the scientific, anthropology plays a vital role in elaborating more about sexuality. In the study of anthropology and early teachings, highlighted that sexuality was only supposed to be practiced through marriage, reproduction and when families ties. Later issues such as sexual risks, double standards, and same-sexual relationships started developing in traditional communities. According to Malinovski, the functional approach to the definition of sexuality is that it should only be practiced through the needs of individual biology and reproduction. This is because sex in traditional communities should only take place through marriage arrangements where political and social unions took place. However, research missed highlighting other forms of sexuality like: in youth, in old age, in children and outside marriage. These types were either considered as unimportant as compared to the cultural understanding or sex was treated as a manifestation of abnormality or deviance.

Sexuality and society have a variety of significant issues regarding legal diabetes, the political struggles, and civil rights concerning the efforts surrounding the families and marriages. Sexuality and the societies are useful sites that elevate contemporary thoughts and evidence in literary, social and scientific analysis worldwide. The purpose of these sites, in this case, is to bring myriad and disparate approaches that allow community member, faculty, and students to explore their ways concerning the conceptual notions of sexuality through contemporary societies, politics, economics, and cultures. Therefore sexuality may be expressed and experienced in a variety of ways including, fantasies, beliefs, thoughts, desires, values, attitudes, practices behaviors and relationships. Researchers believe that the sexual behavior of a person is determined by genetics while other asserts know that the environment molds them. The impact of human sexuality, in this case, is facilitated by the political, cultural, philosophical and legal aspects of life that interact with the issues of ethics, spirituality, morality or religion.

Sexuality in cultures

Throughout time and place their many people that have engaged themselves in sexual relationships. Each society defines sexual activities and sexuality in different ways. In the social, cultural context of the community, human sexuality is understood to be part of the social life of people that is governed by the status quo as well as the rules of behavior. Not only does the cultural and social factors including religion and politics does it create the social norm but also place a significant role in the conformity of the norms. Norms, in this case, dictates the things that have acceptable behaviors based on the mores, values, and norms of a particular society.

In regards to norms, there are different ways which culture perceives and understand sexuality, how they understand the relation between sexuality and gender and how they influence the expression of sexual beauty. Societies that promote monogamy for example usually oppose extramarital sex. Starting at a very tender age, most people are socialized to these values and mores either by their peers, families, religion, media, and education. The view of societies concerning sexuality are influenced by everything except philosophy and theology because, throughout the history, there has been continuous change and evolution. Historically, religion has been the greatest influence on sexuality, particularly in the United States. However, in recent years, the media and peers have emerged as the strongest influencers among American teens.

The history of sexuality

Ever since the human existed, sexuality has always been a vital part of the human experience. History, in this case, has a collection sexual behaviors ever since the emergence of agriculture in societies due to the growth of urban communities and the increase in population. With the evidence of gender roles and patriarchal societies, sexuality has become more stringent because the sexual norms are focusing more on sexual possessiveness and female sexuality is under control. This controlled how males and females should express their sexual desire very differently because are were seen to have more sexual power and freedom as compared to women. Therefore different cultures have different approaches to gender when it comes to sexuality. Since the beginning of industrial revolution, there has been various sexual changes pertaining the standards of sex. For instance, the new artificial methods like birth controls that were introduced led to significant changes in the reproductive behaviors. Later in the 20th century, the social movements such as the rise of feminism, the advancement of lesbian, bisexual, queer & and transgender as well as the sexual revolution have helped changed the perception of sexuality.

Culture and Religion

Many of the religions all around the world have established moral codes which are meant to guide the sexual activities and practices of people. Today the influence of religion on sexuality has been evident in many countries especially on the issue of gay marriages that have been long-debated. Most religions view sex as a sacred act that should happen between a man and woman under the context of marriage while other faiths believe that certain kinds of sex are sinful and shameful. They also emphasize that sex should only be done for procreation. Many religions have stressed the importance of self-control in regards to a person’s sexual desires or drive and also have dictated the time in which one can express their sexuality. Religious beliefs have always dictated whether or not sex before marriage, abortion, polygamous relationships are acceptable.

Sexuality and the Media

Appropriate or normal sexuality has been defined by mass media in the form of magazines, music, movies, and television. Mass media has targeted everything ranging from body images to products that are supposed to improve sex appeal. It bolsters various social scripts regarding sexual relationships and the sexual role of both men and women. These scripts have been known to have both enabling and problematic effects on the developing sexual identities and attitudes of people most especially women.  

Sexuality and the United States

The United States has always prided itself on being the land of the free, but when it comes to the general attitudes about the sex of its citizens in other industrialized countries, it is restrictive. In a survey that was conducted 29% of Americans said that premarital sex was wrong. Internationally in the twenty-four countries that got surveyed 17% of Americans there felt that premarital sex was wrong. Almost the same percentage condemned sex before the age of 16, homosexuality, and extramarital sex. The total disapproval by Americans of each of these acts was 12%, 13%, and 11% higher respectively.

Sexuality of Women

The culture of the Americans has been particularly strict in regards to its attitudes towards women and sexuality. It has been a frequent perception that men are more sexual than women and that they have more right to sexual urges than women creating a double standard. The double standard, in this case, can be explained as the prohibiting of premarital sexual intercourse for women while men are allowed to engage in it. This double standard has only allowed women to have premarital sex under the context of a love relationship that has commitment but it has allowed men to have as many sexual partners as they wish to have with no conditions involved.

Sex Education

There has been much debate in the United States in regards to the way and at what age should issue of sexuality be introduced to children. Many people differ on how, when, what, and who should teach children the topic of sex. Almost every school in developed countries has incorporated sex education into their curriculum, but the method in which the issues are taught differ a lot. Some countries teach children about sex from preschool while other only introduce it to the pre-teenagers and teenagers. Children being educated about sex play a crucial role in how they will develop their sexual selves and how they will adapt to expressing and not expressing their sexual motivations.

There is a wide range of topics that are covered in sexual education from mental, physical, to the social facet of sexual behavior. The topics however are dictated by the immediate dominant culture on which are appropriate and those that are not. According to research that was conducted 74% of teenagers in the United States reported that their peers were the primary source of sexual information while 10% said that their parents or a sex education course had given them the information. This data is evidence enough of how the society plays a significant role in shaping the views of people in regards to what is acceptable and unacceptable attitudes and behaviors of sexuality.  The essential nature of sex is continuously sowing conflict and varying viewpoints all around the world.

One of the contributing factors of a lot of the issues regarding sex is because they are used for political gains. Many individuals often make justifications of their objections with sentiments that support them while ignoring well-proven research data and conclusions that are extensive on the topic of sexuality. Theories have been argued to demonstrate the ways in which we believe things work in our world. If people assume that they are able to make thoughtful and responsible choices, it follows for instance if people think that efficient distribution of condoms will increase their use the trend takes root. If we assume that emotions influence people, then we can understand that even there the effective distribution of condoms will not substantially increase. It is widely assumed that sexuality comprises of a natural instinct or sexual urge which can be viewed as essentialism thinking. The present-day thinking of essentialists includes the perception that some events are biological, unavoidable, and naturally determined. There are some scientific research that uses essentialist thinking such as brain research, endocrinology, evolutionary psychology, genetic research, and sociobiology.   

Conclusion

Sexuality, as elaborated in the essay, is a feeling of sexual desire experienced by man due to a variety of causes. Sexuality is a condition that was discovered a long time ago even before agriculture and industrialization were introduced. Its conception changed when the population started rising, and urbanization took place. Ever since the meaning of sexuality including the act itself, things have evolved from how men and women should express themselves and the rules that govern the expression. Throughout history, sexuality has always been a vital part of the human experience. However, since the beginning of industrial revolution, there has been a diverse sexual changes pertaining the standards of sex. The rise of feminism, the advancement of lesbian, bisexual, queer & and transgender as well as the sexual revolution have helped changed the perception of sexuality.