Sociological Aspects of Gender and Sexuality.

Running head: GENDER AND SEXUALITY
GENDER AND SEXUALITY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1GENDER AND SEXUALITY
As per the official report of Ons.gov.uk (2020), the gender pay gap in the nation of UK
among all the workers of the concerned nation for the year 2020 was 17.3% and this clearly goes
on to show the extent to which the evil of gender inequality is still prevalent within the
concerned nation. Zeeman et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that the term ‘gender’ denotes the
sex of the individuals or for that matter the sex group, whether male, female or transgender to
which they belong. This as a matter of fact over the years had become an integral part of the
identity of the individuals over the years and had also contributed significantly towards the
present condition of the societal framework as well (Mehta 2019). On the other hand, the term
‘sexuality’ connotes the sexual feelings of the individuals, their sexual orientation, thoughts,
feelings and others aspects which they feel for the other people (Sundaram and Sauntson 2016).
However, at the same time it needs to be said that both of these terms have undergone a
significant amount of change in the present times and as a matter of fact it is seen that they are
considered to be coterminous with each other (Cuthbert 2019). More importantly, both of these
terms presently connote more the sexual act or the sexual orientation of the individuals rather
than their sex. In this regard, it needs to be said that the earlier concepts of gender and sexuality
were rather stringent and narrow in nature because of the societal roles that the women
performed however with the broadening of the role of women in society and also with the
developments in the fields of knowledge these concepts have undergone a change (Westwood
2016). Furthermore, these changes can be objectively explained through the usage of different
theories like Marxism, feminism, post-modernism and others. The aim of this essay is to
undertake an analysis of three everyday experiences as per the sociological aspects of gender and
sexuality.

2GENDER AND SEXUALITY
The constructs of gender and sexuality had undergone a significant amount of change
over the years and these changes manifest themselves when the present gender roles held by both
the men and the women are being taken into account. However, Fletcher et al. (2016) have
argued that it is true that significant changes have undergone in the fields of the gender and
sexuality and they have significantly improved the condition of both the men and women yet at
the same time it needs to be said that the situation is far from ideal. At this juncture, I would like
to mention a personal experience wherein I found that although both my uncle and aunt work in
a bank yet they are not being offered the same wage and there is a huge gap between their wages
despite the fact that both of them perform the same job role. In the relation, it needs to be said
that the idea of both men and women working together was almost unconceivable about one or
two centuries ago however presently it is possible (Ringrose 2016). However, the large wage gap
or for that matter the difference in the amount of wage which is being paid to men and women
for performing the same job clearly indicates that the changes which had taken place are not
adequate and still a lot of work needs to be performed. As discussed by Mulholland, Montagna
and Sanders-McDonagh (2018), the changes which had undergone in the gender and gender roles
also becomes apparent from the fact that presently both men and women perform the house
chores unlike the earlier times when only the women used to perform the household chores and
the men were supposed to be the bread-earners. As a matter of fact, in my own home I see that
both my mother and father together perform the household chores. However, as per an article of
Independent.co.uk (2020), more than 93% of the household chores are still being completed by
the women rather than the men. Thus, it can be said that despite the changes in gender and
gender roles there is still a substantial amount of work which needs to be performed in the
concerned area. Sundaram and Sauntson (2016) have noted that people in the present times show

3GENDER AND SEXUALITY
a higher amount of acceptance towards the varied sexual orientations of the individuals unlike
the earlier times wherein the homosexuals were persecuted for their sexual orientation or sexual
preferences. In this connection, I would like to say that I myself have many friends who are gay
and lesbians and are being able to lead a peaceful with no persecution or objection from anyone.
However, at the same time it needs to be said that the large number of anti-homosexual
movements which are being organized even in the present times and the fact that homosexuality
is still illegal in many nations goes on to show that actual development in the concerned field had
still not been achieved. To sum up, these personal experiences which I have highlighted clearly
indicate a substantial amount of change or for that matter development had taken place in the
cannon of gender and sexuality yet the contradictory evidences suggest that the situation is far
from ideal and therefore a great amount of work still needs to be performed.
The changes that had taken place in the constructs of gender and sexuality and also the
prominence that these two concepts hold in the lives of the common people become apparent
from the large number of theories related to the same that had been formulated over the years. In
this connection, it needs to be said that three of the most important theories which are presently
being used for the analysis of the different instances related to gender and sexuality are
feminism, Marxism and post-modernism. Roberts and MacCallum-Stewart (2016) are of the
viewpoint that one of the most important precepts of the theory of feminism can be attributed to
the fact that both men and women are equal and because of the subjugation that the women had
to face over the years advocacy needs to be done for their empowerment. An analysis of the first
experience that I highlighted through the usage of this theory clearly reveals the fact that the
women are still not considered as equal to men in the different workplaces of the nation of UK
despite performing the same volume of work. This clearly goes on to show the dire need for