Paper Example. Social Construction of Gender Sex and Sexuality

Gender, sex, and sexuality are described as a special arrangement by which society transforms biological sexuality into human activities. Beauvoir (2012) suggested that the relationship between social gender, biological sex, and sexual attraction are mere cultural products. In this case, gender is described as the social product that can be attached to the philosophies of biological sex. In a diverse modern culture, there is an assumption that everyone is heterosexual. That is, one can be attracted to a woman if they are men and vice versa unless otherwise stated (Beauvoir, 2012). Most individuals make assumptions concerning the way people should be acting in social life as well as the kind of persons they should get attracted to. This is purely based on their opinion on the superficial bodily outlook that is normally presumed to bear the representation of the biological sex characteristics.

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Rubin (2007) raised questions on biological determinist arguments that claimed that every individual recognized as female at their births would have to be recognized as women and hence draws the attraction of men. In relation to the biological determinist view, where destiny is attributed to biology, this is the direction that is intended by nature. Rubin (2007), however, claims that the view has failed to take care of human interventions. Human beings have a direct influence on societal social arrangements. There is a belief by the social constructionists that most things that are left typically unquestioned as a convenient way of life have an actual historical reflection and relationships that are culturally rooted among different groups of individuals. Through socialization, this can then be reproduced in parts where conventional ways of behavior and thinking from our communities and families (Beauvoir, 2012). Simply because female-labeled individuals give birth to children does not guarantee that, by definition, they are the best caretakers of their children or that they are endowed with the natural instinct that their male counterparts lack.

Women's' arrangements for providing care to children have a memorable historical legacy. Mothers have been seen taking active roles in providing daycare services, babysitting, as well as elementary school teaching. Both scholars are in agreement that the common thing about these jobs is that they are occupations that are dominated by women, and economically, the works are undervalued. This is due to the fact that despite the valuable services that the ladies offer in these jobs, their payments are not good. Rubin (2007) claimed that women fail to be compensated well due to the fact the mothering is never viewed as a work but as a "natural" behavior that they are obliged to perform.

The socio-cultural influence via the development of an individual makes gender to be socially constructed. The identity of gender varies from society to society depending on how members of a given society view and evaluate the of male and female. Historical and background, religion, and family values of a given ethnicity play a significant role in influencing gender identity. Beauvoir (2012) argued that there had been a misunderstanding between sex and gender. Sex constitutes a biological difference or distinction of being a female or a male. Gender is an organizational feature of a society, and its sociological importance is that help is categorizing people socially and can hence result in discrimination and prejudice. Rubin (2007) claimed that apart from family, which is considered as the first socialization agent as well as learning the identity of gender, children get to learn from varied sources like school and from age mates. This can be traced back to their first entry into school as well as the daycare center periods where kids get to learn and understand their gender by interacting and playing their peers and the caregivers. Rubin (2007) argued that even by just paying a visit to the child care center, one would easily notice that the environment is designed in such a way that it enhanced gender identity. This is due to the fact that there are some special regions that are designed for girls to play, and there is also another different area that is arranged and equipped playing kits for boys. This makes the kids grow up knowing they expected roles in society. This is because there is a common belief that the kinds of roles and the tools that the children play with have a significant effect on their future. Making boys play with bricks, for example, gives them the experience of the mathematical and engineering concepts while playing dramatic roles as well as playing with dolls shapes girls to grow as nurturers.

On his part, Rubin (2007) claims that gender is subjected to social construction. He further claimed that social constriction is one of the fundamental theories that can be used to place gender into cultural and historical focus. The social construction helps in the understanding of how meaning can be derived via social interactions, either by what we say or things we do to ourselves and other people. It is a social theory that depicts that is not fixed but changes from place to place as well as with time. Both scholars concur norms of gender, which defined an acceptable code of conduct for acting as a gender are studied throughout socialization from childhood.

On the other hand, Lorber (2015) claimed that just like gender, sex could not be termed as a purely biological thing. He asserts that sex is a part of the cultural or social one, meaning that it is subjected to cultural or social construction. He claimed that the construct referred to like sex a gender's cultural construct. Rubin (2007) further argued that sex is a product of social construct owing to the fact that not everybody undergoes the characteristics of secondary sex in a similar way.

It is, therefore, very clear that the social relationships of a given culture and community play a vital role in constructing the gender, sex, and sexuality of an individual. Different scholars express varied views on the role that society plays in the construction of sex, sexuality, and gender. While others agree that society is the ultimate determinant of sex, sexuality, and gender, others believe that biology is the main determinant of the same. It is therefore worth noting that society plays a vital role in shaping what role one will assume in feature as well as enhancing their skills in preparation for such roles.

References

Beauvoir, C. (2012). Philosophy and gender (3rd ed., p. 545). London: Routledge.

Rubin, T. (2007). Gender: Key Concepts in Philosophy (6th ed., p. 345). London: Continuum.

Lorber, J. (2015). The social construction of gender (2nd ed., p. 343). Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage.