Gender Imbalance across Centuries

Since the beginning of time, sexuality has been at the heart of literature. Many people have written about this subject in journals, poems, and, more often than not, blogs. My observation is that in our culture, there is increasing tension between different people who have different views on sexuality. Few people embrace bisexuality, although others do not. There are several facets of the sexuality topic that can be explored. The best thing is that freedom of sexual relationships among people of the different and same-sex has been realized, although some countries have not yet made it legal for gay and lesbians relationships. Most of the things and changes happening around the globe originate from Europe and America, and since the issue of homosexuality, transsexuals, and queers originates from these regions, with time it will spread and get accepted in most parts of the world. On the other hand, gender equality has been a challenge to most nations, and with civilization, women have started getting their freedom and enjoying life as men. Men also have had the opportunity to express their emotions as physiologically expected. For a long time men have had the challenge of complaining since it was demarcated as a sign of weakness and as well as understand no one, either man or woman would like to be referred as a weak being. I am going to demonstrate how sexuality has taken effect including the impact it has had on the evolution of social beliefs concerning people of particular gender.
It is to my knowledge that in the ancient times, women were not regarded in society. They were seen as objects that were meant for reproduction and not any other thing. Women who were barren were subjected to punishments such as being banished from the community and being left for dead. This was very unfair because it could have been the husband that was impotent. Men, on the other hand, were viewed as being superior beings. In the case where a woman could not bear children, a man was allowed to take another wife and as many as possible afterward (Anderson 210). There is no way I can be supportive of such actions because I believe that everyone in couple deserves the joy of having a child in his or her life. Even though back then the issue of adoption had not been discovered, there were many ways that they could have had children who biologically are not theirs and one of the includes staying with their relatives' children. This way it could have been better for both the husband and wife. Again, women deserve to be consulted before a man decides to have another wife, it was unfair and barbaric to neglect them this right. My uncle secretly had another wife, and when my aunt realized, it hurt her feelings to the extent that she divorced him.
In both ancient and present days, leadership in the community was set aside and dominated by the men. Before grating of freedom to women, they could not show up in a council meeting leave alone comment anything at all. They were there to be heard and not to be seen and hence violating their freedom of speech. In some societies, women were not even allowed to look at men in the eye, and even worse in others, they could not address males while standing. A trespass of those rules attracted severe penalties to ensure that a repeat of the mistake was not witnessed again. Women played the role of following what had already been decided. I think men were trying to make them lesser beings. I have read several ancient stories and realized that the art of leadership was mainly monarchial. That tells us that it followed a well-stipulated hierarchy. The heir to the throne was supposed to be the firstborn son and not the daughter of the king or emperor that was ruling a given territory. A woman ascending to a throne was regarded a taboo and was condemned with strongest terms possible (Brown 545). Women were slaves, but civilization has liberated them, it is a fortune they may say. They have even joined military forces which in the past were unheard of, my thinking is, they have a lot to celebrate compared to the past. I can proudly say this knowing that the mother to James my friend is a military woman and a colonel for that matter. We are all safe and happy around her especially when we go out to have fun as families in forests and camping during her holidays.
Marriage in the ancient civilizations was highly regarded as a ritual, and as such, it was carried out within the strict confines of the marital norms. A woman would be engaged to a man at the time of birth, and it would forever remain that way. Ladies did not enjoy the luxury of making their own decisions. Courtship was unheard of, the man and the woman would only make physical contact after the marriage ceremony. The lady was expected to remain pure by keeping her virginity till she was married (Kaestle, Christine, and Adrienne 39). In most societies, there was a test that was done to ascertain the virginity of a woman. After marriage women were expected to remain loyal and show love for their husbands. Divorce was never allowed to take place in the event of conflicts no matter what. Today, as I have earlier mentioned, my aunt is divorced from my uncle, and she lives happily with no one condemning her or her actions. Allow me to take you to the past where there was a clear distinction between the chores meant for men and those intended for women. Females were usually involved in house-related tasks while men were engaged in field-oriented duties which were believed to be more cumbersome than the former. Women would clean the house, wash utensils, babysit, and at times till the land in the case of farming communities. Men, on the other hand, took part in cattle grazing and hunting activities. Could be that the duties were divided by who was stronger than the other? That statement holds some truth since it would be obscene that women were in the field hunting while men remained at home. Things have changed since my dad always cooks breakfast and he happily does it without complaints. Funny enough, my sister is an engineer, and she is the one who fixes every electronic in the house, which initially was the role of men.
At one point in time, there came this saying that what a man can do a woman can do best (Brown 549). In my own opinion, this saying holds some truth for some situations but not all of them. Unlike the past, females have now embraced leadership positions, and it is evident that they are good at it. Organizations that are led by women have been reported to be less corrupt as opposed to those headed by men. These firms have also registered a faster rate of growth than those led by males. Therefore, women are known to think critically and come up with long-term strategic plans that trigger the growth of an organization. As far as leadership is concerned ladies can do better than men. That comes as an eye opener for better leadership that males have been despising all along. Women can run things exclusively but of course with the support from men. Education in the modern society has turned out to be very crucial. This is the key, so they say. Learning is a continuous process that never stops throughout one's life. When school was first introduced, women were not given access to learning in the way that men did (Lewis and Sybil Durand 37). Only girls from royal families could comfortably study. The United Nations was formed after the world war, and its main agenda was to orchestrate for the rights of women. It was realized that females had been oppressed in the past centuries and it was time for them to smell the roses. Women were given the right to education and even the right to own property and make decisions among others. It was pointed out that for civilization to be realized men and women alike had to have access to education (Lewis and Sybil Durand 40). Currently, every girl in the world is entitled to better education and equal opportunity as men. This is evident all over because we have a lot of women professors who have studied chemistry, medicine and physics live alone humanities. Back at home, Professor Janet is our neighbor, and she is a university dean in the faculty of parasitology. Therefore, I regard it wrong to deny anyone a chance to study.
We all know that today, women are allowed owning property independently. They can now purchase land and invest in real estate or even smart farming. In the recent past they were not allowed to drive, but in the modern society they can own and drive vehicles of their own choice. In fact, women are more careful drivers than men are. The number of ladies driving nowadays is almost subduing that of women. It is called the strength of a woman. They have come out in large numbers to take part in the revolution too. The kind of determination being shown by women is clear indication that they are out to make up for what they were unable to do in the past. I can shamelessly say, my sister, drives my dad to his store daily as she goes to work. I must say that most of the rights that were rolled out by the United Nations were in favor of women. There are equivalent repercussions for those found guilty of harassing females. Rape cases, for instance, are met with life imprisonments for those caught in the act. A man who beats his wife for any reason is also subject to prosecution and a consequent jail term if found guilty. The rules have demanded respect for ladies from men in ways that I cannot explain. Women can now rule over men; something that was unheard of in the past. Oprah Winfrey who is the former richest black woman in the world is a good example showing that females can be so powerful. The fact that she was surpassed implies are competing favorably among themselves (Brown 543).
The world civilization has got to state of utmost freedom. It is a democratic world in which everyone gets to decide what his or her life looks like. The issue of sexuality has not been left behind either. One gets to choose who to be attracted to base on what makes him or her happy. This has given rise to queers, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and even transsexuals. They are just normal human beings just like everyone else, and they have their rights. Given the advanced technology one can also undergo surgery to change his or her sex. The sensitivity of the matter has led to the amendment of the constitutions of various nations across the globe to address this issue. The results are quite impressive since people can now enjoy sexual freedom unperturbed (Anderson 212).
In the case of bisexuals, an individual is attracted to both sexes. A man, for instance, can get sexually satisfied by both a man and a woman on different occasions. The feelings that he or she has towards either of the sexes are equal and symmetric. It is important to note that what matters the most is the compatibility of the couples involved. The relationship does not just come into being; there has to be that courting period. They could also set up a date and get to know each other much better. There have been several weddings involving bisexuals and given that this is a long-term entanglement, they have to make it as beautiful as possible. Sex is meant to be enjoyed, and it doesn't matter how one gets to do it. Where we have someone being homosexual, heterosexual or even a queer it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that it makes him or her happy. Every, in the long run, deserves happiness and therefore one has to make each day count by doing what he or she loves most. Sex is in mind, and hence no one has the right to dictate what others should enjoy regarding sex (Anderson, p, 210). Lesbians and gays should not be condemned because this is a free world where one gets to do what they like. In fact, members of this sexual practices should be embraced and in the community.
The trends of behavior in society are more often than not dictated by the societal expectations. For instance, most cultures around the world do not allow men to cry. Tears coming from a man are seen as a sign of weakness. As a result, men hardly cry unless it is indispensable. There are instances of extreme grief that may make a man to shed tears. Abraham Lincoln, for example, used to shed tears in his presidential speeches while addressing serious matters affecting the nation (Lewis and Sybil Durand 50). Mothers bring up their sons with teachings on how to cry privately. Women, on the other hand, are considered to be emotionally weak and tend to express their feelings by shedding tears. During such times they look up to men for support, and if men are in tears, then they will not be of much help. In contrast to culture, science argues that crying is very important for both sexes. I have learned that those people who cry develop strong emotions over time as compared to those who hold their tears. Shedding tears get rid of emotions which otherwise if held within would lead to a psychological breakdown. When men cry it is a clear indication that they are telling the truth and is an important aspect as far as the integrity of men is concerned (Kaestle, Christine, and Adrienne 50). However, most cultures still hold that men shedding tears is not recommendable since they are known to be emotionally strong and are looked up to by the whole community. Also, it is also believed that when a man cries, it reduces on his masculinity. I have personally ever been involved in an incident where I had to be every inch a man by not crying and thought I should tell my friend Martin about it in the following letter:
Dear Martin,
How is Pal? It has been long since we last heard from each other. How is your family doing? Friends should lose contact for this long. I have taken it upon myself to break the silence. I hope that you are getting on well with school. Have you made any new friends over there?
Unfortunately, last week I had an accident while I was riding my bike. I fell and sustained a dislocation at the left elbow. I have never experienced such a painful event in my life, but because my sister was riding with me, I had to endure and hide any crying response. Later at night in my room after coming from the hospital, I cried all night.
I wish to hear from you soon. Please drop by at any time.
Regards,
Victor.
My view is that emotions are of great importance in the social setting, and everyone should feel free to express his or her feelings irrespective the sexuality. From the saying that a problem shared is half solved it is essential to have someone that you can confide when you are facing a difficulty. This should be a person who is always ready to listen to you. For couples, emotions are expressed regarding love and affection. The role of the society is to assess the prevailing situation and share their opinion. In most occasions, the views of the community might not matter because it is made up people with different views on the day to day occurrences. I have been able to cope with a lot of situations in my life through sharing issues with my family members and James who is my trusted friend. Were it not for them, I could have developed stress or even depression, and therefore it is crucial to for humans to express emotion and speak out their disturbing concerns.
Conclusively, the building blocks of literature entirely lie on sexuality. Men and women are structurally different in the way they reason, in the way they behave, in the way they talk and even on their reaction to certain situations. These differences have in the past raised concerns with regards to the expectations of women and men. In the past females were vulnerable to the restrictions that had been placed on them on what to do and what not to do. Civilization has given ladies the chance to discover themselves and taper into their capabilities limitlessly. Men have also been made to understand that in as much as they are meant to be the head of families; women deserve equal chances as males (Brown 460). The world has changed, and women are now becoming powerful than men in most situations. Most nations are seen to care much for the welfare of a girl child than a boy child. Women unions meant to fight for their rights have been formed in almost every country in the globe. The time for feminine gender to arise is now.





















Works Cited
Anderson, R. M. "Positive sexuality and its impact on overall well-being." Bundesgesundheitsblatt-Gesundheitsforschung-Gesundheitsschutz 56.2 (2013): 208-214.
Brown, Michael. "Gender and sexuality I: Intersectional anxieties." Progress in Human Geography 36.4 (2012): 541-550.
Brown, Michael. "Gender and sexuality II: There goes the gayborhood?" Progress in Human Geography 38.3 (2014): 457-465.
Kaestle, Christine Elizabeth, and Adrienne Holz Ivory. "A forgotten sexuality: Content analysis of bisexuality in the medical literature over two decades." Journal of Bisexuality 12.1 (2012): 35-48.
Lewis, Mark A., and E. Sybil Durand. "Sexuality as risk and resistance in young adult literature." The critical merits of young adult literature: Coming of age (2014): 38-54.