Social Construction of Sexuality
Research papers on the social construction of sexuality are custom written for sociology courses that study culture and sexuality. Paper Masters will outline the topic or review any aspect of sexuality and society that you need in a research paper. Several interesting topics on the social construction of sexuality that we have written on in the past include the following:
- The Social Construction of Young Adult Sexual Exploration
- The Social Construction of Homosexuality
- Power Hierarchies and the Sexuality of Gender
- Gender Assignment and its Pitfalls
Human sexuality is a fundamental part of a person's existence. However, there is a widespread belief among some sociologists that gender, as an aspect of sexuality, is a socially constructed idea. Under such a definition, culture creates gender roles for men and women, specifying the ideal behaviors of a person based on their sex, male or female. Further, some social scientists claim that there are in fact more than just two genders.
Social Construction
Social construction focuses on how meaning is created, and that knowledge is a social product, collaboratively created by society. As a member of society, the individual is placed within various power hierarchies, and create meaning within their environment. Traditionally, Western society has ascribed various behaviors and traits with men or women. Gender traditionally has been assigned along sex, and gender roles have served to present social aspects of masculinity or femininity.
In viewing sexuality as a social construction, social scientists maintain the gender identity can vary within a person's lifetime, as the individual creates their gender identity through interaction with others. Sexuality then becomes defined by the person, either homosexual or heterosexual, masculine or feminine, outside of biological fact. However, gender remains largely the result of other's perceptions of one's sex. Therefore a person wishing to be viewed as a gay man must first be perceived as a man.