Gender Roles and Sexual Assertiveness

This assignment delves into the complex interplay between gender roles, personal beliefs, and sexual assertiveness within relationships. It analyzes various academic studies that explore how societal expectations regarding masculinity and femininity can impact individuals' comfort levels expressing their sexual desires and needs. The focus is on understanding how these factors contribute to both positive and negative sexual experiences.

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GENDER AND SEXUALITY
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Gender and Sexuality
Gender
Gender is the cultural or social distinction that identifies one as being male or female.
Some expectations are shared widely of how boys and girls, as well as how men and women
should behave. The expectations put on people of different genders are not permanent but keep
changing since are constructed continually (Spence 2007). They are also reinforced through the
various interactions between people and the economic and political dynamics of different places.
Gender can also be defined as one’s sense of who they are that is not about what their genes,
characteristics, and hormones depict (Choi et al. 2012).
IDS organization, which works to assist women and girls from various communities in
India that are marginalized, defines gender as “a continuum in which there are different degrees
to which one transgresses or breaks the social norms related to the ‘ideal’ woman and man.”
(Rolleri 2013). There are strict standards which are created by individual societies that are
expected to be strictly upheld by both genders. These cultures use a system of privileges or
punishments to ensure the norms are followed. They not only police the norms, but they also
ensure that they are internalized.
Different researchers say that gender and sexuality are not separate and distinct, but they
are very closely related. Society has shaped the right and wrong ways to live and act as women
and men (Rolleri 2013). These ways of behaving then influence people’s beliefs and sexual
practices as either right or wrong. Incidentally, there are ideologies from different people that
women should be chaste and pure. These beliefs can, in turn, lead to honor killings, female
genital mutilation, and even restrictions on the movement of women. Additionally, expectations
that men should be macho could lead to an acceptance of sexual violence instead of being

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condemned. Many places across the world, refer to a man as being a ‘real’ man if he behaves in a
heterosexual manner and acts about the gender stereotypes in that region (Kurpisz et al. 2016).
Sexuality
Human sexuality, on the other hand, refers to the sexual interests of individuals and their
attraction to other people. It is one’s ability to have sexual feelings and erotic experiences.
Sexuality is beyond straight or gay. Some people are bisexual, and others view sexual attraction
as being fluid and find labels to be too fixed. These are people who identify themselves as queer.
Finally, some people identify as asexual. This means that they do not have sexual feelings
towards any gender. However, these people can still form relationships with other people
(Emmerink et al. 2017).
Just like gender, the views of society on human sexuality are constantly changing.
Human sexuality is controlled by social norms, the status quo, and the expected behavior. All
societies have varying beliefs about homosexuality, the age under which one can consent to have
sex, premarital sex, masturbation, and different sexual activities (Lefkowitz et al. 2014). People
are informed of the norms in the society by their peers, schools, parents, religion, and media.
As children grow up, the messages that they receive concerning sex are significant into
how they develop sexually and sexually express themselves. There is a debate concerning who
should teach children sex matters, what they should be taught, how and when they should be
taught. This is because the way sex is depicted to people at a young age influences how they
view it in the future both as men and women (Leclerc et al. 2015).
There are various ways in which sexuality can be expressed. These are in the forms of;
beliefs, desires, attitudes, fantasies, roles, practices, relationships, and thoughts. These different

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ways can be seen in physical, emotional, biological, and sociocultural mannerisms. Sociocultural
mannerisms refer to how the society and cultures influence one’s sexuality. Some researchers
assert that one determinant of sexual behavior is genetics. However, others believe that
environment is a significant determinant of sexual conduct (Elliott & Umberson 2008). Very
many aspects of life affect and are affected by human sexuality. These are; legal, political,
cultural, and philosophical. Moreover, sexuality interacts with matters such as ethics, spirituality,
morality, and religion.
Societal Gendered Norms and Sexuality
Gender and sexuality relate in different ways. Gender norms primarily influence
sexuality. The expectations that a given society has concerning how men and women should
behave affects their feelings, attitudes, and sexual behaviors. These expectations that the society
holds are based the belief that there are only two genders which are males and females. As such,
they are expected to conduct themselves in different manners based on their biological sex.
Development policy has a primary assumption that one’s gender is linked to their biological sex
and those who receive development interventions are heterosexual. This assumption brings about
heteronormativity. This is the belief that the natural and the normal way of a sexual relationship
as well the foundation under which a family is formed is a heterosexual marriage between a
woman and man (McNicoll et al. 2017).
There is a wide distinction between the expectation about sexuality and the gendered
norms. The pressures that people have to conform to the social norms in society can negatively
affect both men and women. For instance, in some societies, women may be compelled to get
married to people they may not know or much older than they are. This may then lead to
incidences such as marital rape. In other societies, women may be forced to go through female

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genital mutilation just to be elevated to being an ‘adult’ (Auslander et al. 2007). The women may
also be forced to undergo female genital mutilation to reduce their sexual desires in a bid to
make them faithful to their husbands or so as not to enjoy the experience of having sexual
relations. Boys are also taught how to become men in certain societies. This may involve
activities such as bullying if they are not perceived to be ‘macho’ enough. They may also be
bullied if they show behavior that depicts that they have same-sex interests.
Ideologies to Control Women
There are also ideologies in different societies regarding sex that are put in place to
control women. Women and girls are seen in many societies as vulnerable to sexual advances
from men. These societies, therefore, feel the need to protect the women and girls. They prize
virginity highly, and the girl’s family is praised and gains a high status socially (Brassard et al.
2015). Some societies even link education to women’s sexuality and control the access based on
whether one is a virgin or not. Others are concerned that educating girls may change the
patriarchal systems such as arranged marriages when the women become empowered and refuse
to comply (Wigderson & Katz 2015).
All around the world, women are attacked using their sexuality. Incidentally, women who
fight for gender equality are labeled promiscuous or even lesbians in a bid to undermine them
and reduce their political impact. Moreover, people who attack women in this manner aim to
reinforce beliefs about what is expected of a ‘proper’ woman regarding her behavior and what
she says (Sajatovic et al. 2011).
In 2013, there was a sexual assault that was politically motivated in Egypt. Research
conducted showed that women who chose to protest publicly about the situation instead of just

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staying at home were assaulted sexually as punishment. There were also men who were sexually
assaulted. However, due to assumptions based on gender as to who the perpetrator and victim is,
these cases did not receive much attention domestically as well as internationally (Lefkowitz et
al. 2014).
Many societies expect women not to talk about on their sexuality. In turn, this makes it
hard for them to know sexual matters such as how to reduce certain risks. Additionally, it may be
hard for these women to talk to their sexual partners concerning safe sex. Due to the stigma
directed to women who engage in pre-marital sex, there is difficulty experienced by some
women in accessing health services for sexually transmitted diseases (Azmoude et al. 2016).
Some women in heterosexual relationships have been seen to have lower economic
power than the male counterpart, and this has negatively affected their say about their sexual
relationship. Men also face certain issues in relation to sexuality. Many societies expect men to
be more knowledgeable and experienced in sexual matters due to their masculinity. This in turn,
discourages them from learning about safe sex which puts them at risk of contracting HIV and
other infections transmitted sexually (Brassard et al. 2015).
‘Macho’ Masculinity
Different societies have also emphasized on macho masculinity. This shows that men are
expected to dominate over women both socially and sexually. Consequently, this has led to many
cases of violence against women. On the other hand, men who do not conform to these gendered
expectations, are stigmatized (Choi et al. 2012). Moreover, homosexual men are looked down
upon in these societies and despised. Because most societies find men to be the perpetrators of

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violence against women, men who report cases of being violated are not assisted, and those cases
end up being ignored.
The existence of gendered norms in relation to sexuality influence reports of sexual
health and behavior. This leads to biased research into the issue. Due to the assumptions that
women are the victims of sexual violence, people do not get to know how they control their
sexual relationships. On the other hand, because society sees men to be strong, little research has
been carried out to find out their vulnerabilities as any negative experiences they have gone
undergone, whether it is in homosexual or heterosexual relationships (Spence 2007).
Moreover, there has not been much research conducted about the sexuality of transgender
people. There are assumptions among many people that people who are transgender are
homosexual. All these wrong assumptions are based on gendered expectations in society.
Gender is mainly talked about in terms of male or female.
Plurality of Gender
However, there are theorists who speak of the plurality of gender and how gender
identities can be given different values socially. These gender theorists have asserted that
masculinity is not singular but occurs in a range and is ordered hierarchically. The dominant
male epitomizes the patriarch also called the ‘alpha male.' This type of male is highly valued in
many societies and is what many look up to. The people who do not conform to certain standards
of masculinity are sometimes not considered ‘proper’ men. This in turn affects their sexual
behavior. Women may also not be seen as feminine enough, and this also may affect their sexual
relationships and gender identities (McNicoll et al. 2017).

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There is a common assumption that one’s gender is determined by their biological sex.
For instance, one is said to be feminine because they are female. The difference between one’s
biological gender and their sex is most felt by people who feel that their sex is not in line with
what they consider to be their actual gender. Transgender people may make changes to their
biological sex to match what they feel to be their ascribed gender. Additionally, others may not
change their sex but will change their gender into what they feel to be their identity (Azmoude et
al. 2016).
The Standard Model of Sex and Gender
The standard model that speaks to the difference between sex and gender asserts that a
person’s sex is determined biologically. This means that, according to this model, one is
supposed to be classified as either male or female based on their anatomy when they are born.
On the other hand, this model says that one’s gender is determined culturally or socially. This in
turn means that how a child is raised and taught is what will determine if they are masculine or
feminine (Vafaei et al. 2014).
This model also says that people are dimorphic sexually. That is to mean that all people
are either male or female. This has been hugely criticized because it does not take account of
people who are intersex biologically. This model states that gender is grouped in two sides that
are opposite, either masculine or feminine. This is criticized as well because it leaves out people
who are transgender, androgynous, intersex among others. Many scholars have highly criticized
this model asserting that gender and sex as well as sexuality are fluid concepts that do not just
exist as binaries rather they exist in a spectrum (Emmerink et al. 2017).

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A majority of theoretical conceptualizations in relation to the double standard that exists
regarding sex between men and women say that both genders behave differently and are judged
differently by society due to their sexual behaviors. This has mostly been brought by the
gendered attitudes that exist in society. Society has given men more sexual freedom that has not
been accorded to women. It is therefore expected that in case people behave based on the societal
expectations, women will have sexual relations with a few partners while the men will have more
sexual partners (Spence 2007).
Societal Double Standards
Evidence has shown that women who endorse the societal double standard are not very
likely to have sex. However, if they do, they are less liable to use protection because the societal
norms present such actions as being inappropriate. On the other hand, men who endorse these
rules will most likely have sex with multiple partners. However, they are likely to purchase
condoms because this is in line with societal expectations (Wigderson & Katz 2015).
Most societies give more power to the men than women even in relationships. This may,
in turn, translate into their sexual relationship where the man has more control over what
happens. This may lead to the man dominating over the woman. In this case, he makes decisions,
and these may at times be risky for the woman since the woman has less relational power. For
instance, she may not use a condom or talk about what she would prefer during the sexual
process (Lefkowitz et al. 2014).
Traditional Norms Among Young Men
The national survey of adolescent males produced data that stated that young men who
follow traditional norms, as compared to other men who are less traditional in relation to matters

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about masculinity, are likely to; have had sex with more partners in the previous year, likely to
not use condoms in various instances, or use them all the time, believe that making a woman
pregnant depicts their masculinity. They are also more likely to have homophobic behavior.
They also believe that relationships between women and men are adversarial. After having
sexual relations, they are also more likely to have less intimate relationships. They additionally
may believe that the man is responsible in preventing pregnancy (Kurpisz et al. 2016). These are
some of the behaviors that have led to risk taking during sex as well as bad reproductive health
for them.
Finally, there is evidence that indicates that there are traditional norms that lower the
capability of women to express their sexual desires. This is mainly because most societies have
placed power on men and women are expected to be submissive. This therefore leads to reduced
sexual satisfaction for most women due to a lack of sexual assertiveness (McNicoll et al. 2017).
Conclusion
Indeed, it is evident that there is a great connection between gender and sexuality. It is
mainly influenced by societal expectations of how men and women should behave in all aspects
which translates to their sexual relationship. It is clear that there is a great extent of ignorance in
the society about sexuality. There is a need to teach people about sexuality to give them a wider
view of the concept and get rid of the double standards that exist about what is expected of each
gender. Of most importance, people should be informed not to take risks and take charge of their
sexuality and not to leave it to their partners or just blindly follow societal expectations.

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References
Auslander, B.A. et al., 2007. Perceptions of sexual assertiveness among adolescent girls:
initiation, refusal, and use of protective behaviors. Journal of pediatric and adolescent
gynecology, 20(3), pp.157–62.
Azmoude, E. et al., 2016. Relationship between Gender Roles and Sexual Assertiveness in
Married Women. International journal of community based nursing and midwifery, 4(4),
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Brassard, A. et al., 2015. Attachment insecurities and women’s sexual function and satisfaction:
the mediating roles of sexual self-esteem, sexual anxiety, and sexual assertiveness. Journal
of sex research, 52(1), pp.110–9.
Choi, N. et al., 2012. Gender-role conflict and gender-role orientation in a sample of gay men.
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Elliott, S. & Umberson, D., 2008. The Performance of Desire: Gender and Sexual Negotiation in
Long-Term Marriages. Journal of marriage and the family, 70(2), pp.391–406.
Emmerink, P.M.J. et al., 2017. The Impact of Personal Gender-Typicality and Partner Gender-
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Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: A Mediation Model. Archives of sexual

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