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Lectures Youth & Sexuality
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Lectures Youth & SexualityLecture 1: Youth Sexuality & Gender 4 may 2021
Sex = short for sexuality activities towards sexual arousal. it happens between the legs
Sex (sekse) = male or female – set of biological characteristics which define you.
Gender = social-cultural (normative) definitions of masculinity and femininity and connected
processes and effects. it happens in the head.
- So the way we look at the biological body (sekse), also depends on the cultural and
social norm which makes it a gender issue.
The difference between sex and gender is complex, also because the terms are used
interchangeably which is very good.
Sexuality = a central aspect of being human throughout life that encompasses sex, gender,
identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction.
- This is not connected towards a certain age.
- It is expressed and experienced on several levels such as thoughts, beliefs, attitudes,
fantasies, relationships etc.
- It can include all of these dimensions BUT they are not always experienced or
expressed this is because certain cultures put limits on this expressions. – you are
molted into your culture.
- Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social,
economics, political, cultural, religious etc.
So it is more then just having sex with your partner.
Sexual health = a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to
sexuality.
So it is much more then just the absence of a disease or dysfunction.
It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well
as the possibility of having a pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion and
violence.
- The sexual right of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.
In studies you see very narrow topics such as behavioural aspects (violence and unwanted
pregnancies), but most of the time they don’t study the social impact.
Why is sexuality an important issue?
- It is the highest happiness and deepest sorrow & everyone experiences it.
- It is strongly entwined with gender roles and women’s social position. it are the
sexuality norms that keep women in the kitchen for example.
- It is an important health issue there are high cost involved with sexuality (also
mental health care).
- It is an important topic in education, policing and jurisdiction (because some sexuality
is not good)
It is also important because it has to do with population growth & ecological relevance,
human rights (discrimination based on gender and sexuality), sexual justice, global health
and burden of disease – a lot of diseases have maternal causes (during pregnancy).
Sexuality is important in adolescent development it functions as a lever (hefboom?)
- It helps by becoming independence from parents.
- It helps with development of personal morality
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, - It helps with identity development this is a prime area of adolescent development.
- It helps with the development of the capacity for meaningful intimate relationships
o These relationships are the training ground for relationships in adulthood
So it is crucial in finding the balance between autonomy and connectedness
The social regulation of sexuality social regulation means the legal restrictions related
to marriage, which partners you are permitted to choose, whether or not you use
contraception etc. And the cultural norms!
This regulation is of all times and all places, but the degree of moral restrictions varies. it
affects women and non-heterosexuals the most.
- This has a variety of explanations: protection patriarchal power, fear of chaos &
anarchy – this can undermine the social structure, evolutionary perspective –
women’s sexuality is regulated because otherwise we might not know who the father
is and this will lead to chaos, historical perspective where the women become
depended on men & pure misogyny
- The rules of sexuality where tightened during the 19e century – Victorian era. There
was a big emphasize on masculinity due to industrial development.
o Children and youth were seen as a-sexual.
In the first half of the 20th century codes were less strict. there came focus of feminist
rights where we got the votes, so the rules became much less strict.
Due to scientific developments during the first half of the 20th century sexuality moved
from religious-moral to medical-psychiatric. ; there came the foundation of sexology. (Kraft,
Hirschfeld, Freud & Reich sexuality should be free!
During WW2 there was an end of this freedom & episode of sexology.
After the WW2 the leading role was for Americans for the freedom of sexuality and sexology.
(Kinsey (he wrote a book about females, which give him a lot of criticism), Money, Masters &
Johnson (they studies the physiology of sex)).
- Simone de Beauvoir “La Deuxieme Sexe)
The evolution of the concept gender in 1953 John Money introduced the term gender
as: all the non-genital and non-erotic activities that are defined by the conventions of society
to apply to males or females.
- 50 -60’s they used it in clinical work with transgenders.
- 70’s feminist used it to biological determinism ?
So there was a shift from modern to postmodern perspectives:
- Gender as individual attribute
- Gender as a social norm (when feminists used it as political term. Now it had
sometimes to do with stereotypes and gender roles).
- Gender as process “doing gender” = the continuous, daily enactment of gender roles
and the sexual double standard = the way that male and female are valued
differently.
In the 60ies and 70ies: many taboos disappear
- There was the second feminist wave and the contraceptive pill came.
- There was a discovery of human sexual response cycle by Masters & Johnson.
- There was an emergence of social-constructionist perspectives the social aspects
of sexuality.
- 1974 homosexuality is deleted from the DSM.
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, - Growing attention for sexual violence
- But still, the sexology focused mainly on adults.
The 80ies and 90ies:
- Increasing migration & a strengthening of human rights perspectives
- 1981 there was the discovery of HIV
- Increasing of medicalisation and its criticisms so Viagra (1998) was also
introduced.
o The criticism was that they were selling sickness so that people would buy the
medications.
- Nature nurture debate become more intense
- The concept sexual health was adopted
- Young people are acknowledged as sexual beings…. But hesitantly. – this is because
the discovery of HIV, you should look at what people are doing and not what they
should be doing. So they found out that young people were also sexual beings.
Sexual rights are:
- They are human rights
- They comprise reproductive rights reproductive rights came first and then they
were broadend to sexual rights.
- It gives freedom FROM discrimination, stigma & violence. And gives freedom TO a
satisfying sex life, adequate info and education, supplies ,medicine and health care &
self determination around partners and reproduction etc.
Era 2.0 is the world as we know it, as young people. there is a far-reaching globalisation;
43% of the world population is under the age of 25. so young people become very
important.
- There is an massive increase in technologization, mediatisation & commercialisation.
our view on sexuality is also intertwined with this development.
- Sexual risks is central to research on young people’s sexuality.
There are a lot of moral panics about young people and sexuality. – people have always
worried about the sexuality of younger people. But why?
- This is related to the rise of new media Instagram, Pinterest etc.
o People are afraid that this new media will harm the sexualisation.
o People are afraid of the downfall of the childhood innoncence in
particular the need to protect adolescent girls.
Are children sexually innocent? after Freud, attention for children’s sexual feelings went
to the background. – we want to protect children. But, there is evidence of their sexual
interest, excitement and desire – they might express them less genital, but they do have it.
But, these feelings from children bring uneasiness, rejection and negative reactions from
parents. this deprives them of necessary knowledge and skills. people might think that
this education will help by doing the sexual behaviour, but this is not the case per se.
- This innocence is therefore eroticised, but they are not innocent. this also
increases the pediofile look.
Ambivalence and controversy around female sexuality:
Madonna-whore dichotomy = there is a good vs. bad women. ; this is not the case
when it comes to men.
Sexual double standard = the norms that evaluated women’s sexuality different than
from men’s + heteronormativity = the norms that shape it into a normative direction.
o They see male and female different and they are complementary
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