Gender and Human Sexuality — Sex and Modern Life
Sex education courses are considered very important since they enlighten students aboutissues associated with sex and sexual health. The society should encourage every person, especially children, to be knowledgeable about sex, sexual practices, child sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted illnesses. Sex education courses assist young people to comprehend the impact of sex in their lives. Sex education debunks myths associated with sex and widens their scope of understanding. Sex education also plays an important role in reducingthe incidents of sexual abuse as young people learn to differentiate between good and bad touch. Sex education courses are a good source of sexual health compared with other sources like pornographic material and the Internet, which have a lot on information that can mislead the younger generation. Appropriate education imparted in students helps them in preventing sexually transmitted diseases and other sexual problems when they grow up. However, sex education can conflictwith some religious beliefs. Students can be confused if theinconsistenciesbetween what is preached in the religious books and what is taught as part of sex education are not addressed. In several schools, sex education is regarded as an extracurricular course and not a basic one,making teachers and students lose interested in it (De n.p.). Additionally, many teachers tasked with teaching sex education are not specialists and have inadequate qualifications to impart knowledge on sexual health. Wrong information is dangerous and leave a wrong impression on students.
Today, the most prominent issue in regardto sexuality is gay marriage. Certain religions perceive sex as a sacred act between a man and a woman, which should only take place within marriage. Other religions perceive some forms of sex as shameful or sinful or emphasize that sex was intended for procreation. Some religions also stress on control over an individual’s sexual desire and state the period and circumstances in which sexuality can be expressed (De n.p.).Even in this modern day, gay people still face discrimination and harassments. They are treated as “different” and not socially acceptable. The debate on the acceptance and legality of gay marriage has been going on for quite some time. In 2015, gay marriage was made legal in the United States. Recent times have seen more open support for gay or same-sex marriage throughout the world, but there is a long way before gay sex or gay marriage becomes an acceptable norm in all society.
The subject of gender and human sexualityplays an important in the society. Unlike the sex of an individual, which is defined by physical attributes, gender isdefined by the role an individual plays in the society. By observing the environment and his/her surrounding, a child learns to identify himself/herself as either male or female. However, the definition of gender is a controversial area among theorists. They disagree on the extent that biology, nature, and the society have on shaping or defining an individual’s gender. Gender can me more just males and females. Some cultures also accept genders of other categories. Psychological theorists place a lot of emphasis on sexuality as an important source of influence on the human personality. Inpsychoanalytic theory,Sigmund Freud believed that life develops around anxiety and pleasure. Tensions resultfrom the accumulated libido (sexual energy), and all pleasuresoriginate from its discharge.Id, which is one of the three parts of the human personality identified by Freud, is represents libido and instincts. Psychoanalytic theories attempts to understand the complex structure of the human personality.Although psychoanalytic theories can be unscientific, they help explain the complexities of gender and human sexuality. The cognition theory states that what individuals think and view is very significant to sex and sexual behaviors. The sociological theory focuses on ways through which the society or culture nurtures human sexuality. Therefore, each society controls its members’ sexuality, and the basic institutions influence the principles that regulate the sexuality of the society. Moreover, proper sexual behavioris defined by culture. This subject is important because sexuality is part of what makes people human. Procreation and sensual pleasure makes human sexuality notable.
Further studieson the field ofgender and human sexuality will lead to better clarity on the complexities of human motivation for sexual behavior.These studies will also enhance disease risk prevention and may throw light on the evaluation of the manner in which sexuality transformswith age. Clear information will be also offered on social and psychological l factors that shape sexuality and the growth of sexually “healthy” adults.People will also be able to understand and address the cause and effects of early marriage, sexual bullying, intimate-partner violence, sex trafficking, and gender norms (De n.p.). Awareness through such studies may also encourage the society to be more accepting of other gender individuals.
Schools play a major function in the implementation of effective sex education to young people. Numerousresearches indicate that effective sex education in schools averts sexexperimentation by young people. Such programs encourage young people to protect themselves while engaging in any form of sexual act.
Works Cited
De, Arpita. “Pros and Cons of Sex Education in Schools.” Onlymyhealth, 9 April 2015, www.onlymyhealth.com/sex-education-in-schools-pros-cons-1310535352. Accessed 19 May 2017.