the social structure of sexuality Flashcards
What are the social forces that shape our sexual behavior?
war, tech, cultural shifts, education, social movements
Rubin’s charmed circle (1984)
Circle where the center is things that are more highly valued/hegemonic and the periphery is more marginalized.
Linked to identity, behavior, relationship
Example of a social structure
Hierarchy of sexuality
Represents more than just preferences but also represents social consequences
good/moral/healthy vs bad/immoral/sick
social order
patterns of organized social behavior, social relations, including inequalities
Social hierarchies
Rewards and social approval at the top, punishment and stigma at the bottom
product of: laws & policies, social, institutions, religion, family, gender
Contradictions
Formal rules different from informal norms
Our understanding of sexuality can be biased by our own social location (university)
Ex. drunk hook ups
University women
University as a place for women to explore bisexuality
Early motherhood, delayed exploration
social structure of sexuality
The social world is patterned and has orders
Many social hierarchies exist
Sociology of culture helps us understand…
Cultural products
Interactions
Institutions
Heteronormativity
Assumption of heterosexuality
Reliance on gender stereotypes
Gender inequality in social (and sexual) relations and interactions
Racial stereotypes
Expectations of exploration is different in accordance to racial groups
Old sexual double standard
traditional gender stereotypes
assumes heterosexuality
adolescent girls have no sexual desire
their job is gatekeepers of boys’ access to sex
New sexual double standard
girls are “empowered” to make own choices about sex
be very sexual, but not too sexual
rules are harder to see
consequences still harsh
