Is heterosexuality a social institution? (Essay Sample)

Name Professor Course Date Heterosexuality A Social Institution Part 1 The characterization of heterosexuality resides well with the theoretical approach by Gayle Rubin; through this Gayle Rubin's approach the paper extricates heterosexuality as a social institution giving derogatory views on the subject. The heterosexual imaginary theory emerged to address the gap in feminist sociology. This theory provides critical thinking into the institutionalized heterosexual structures. Gayle Rubin was the first to offer accounts for gender relation challenging the predominant social ideologies of sexuality and gender. In the current sociocultural setting, heterosexuality is both normative and pervasive, and because of its privileged social status, it is quite elusive. Rubin (276) sees the concept of heterosexuality as both a cultural construct and a social institution. The social construct of feminists is based on gender and sex, which is an indication that they are not biologically constructed but rather through societal and cultural ideals. Rubin supports this ideology by stating that "human sexuality is not comprehensible in purely biological terms... The belly's hunger gives no clue as to the complexities of the cuisine" (276). The ideologies of femininity and masculinity are constructed, which have established hierarchies that have privileged and given power to men over women through social and cultural institutions. When these ideologies are combined with heterosexuality social construction, society ends up with an ideological system with subordination and dominance as the fundamental building blocks between men and women. Heterosexuality as a social institution deviates from alternative normalized institutions. Rubin (279) reveals that the affirmation that has been heavily landed on the ideology of heterosexuality legitimizes and privileges the male power of women. This is why women's study on equality and power must be evaluated because they are emasculated under the problematic hierarchical institution of heterosexuality. The approach by Rubin (279) is an indication that sexuality is expressed and experienced through thoughts, desires, attitudes, fantasies, beliefs, behaviors, roles, practices, relationships, values, and roles. These are not manifested only through emotional, physical, or biological ways but also in social ways. Sexuality is not primarily a genetic inheritance but primarily molded by the environment because it is impacted by the political, philosophical, legal, and cultural aspects of life, attracting issues of ethics, spirituality, morality, theology, or religion. Rubin (279) denotes that the manifestation of sexual passion was previously referred to as heterosexuality, which would later bring heteronormativity, a form of human association. The modern sexual arrangement has distinctive characters setting them apart. This is clear that heterosexuality is socially constructed and is the origin of behaviorism. In this case, heterosexuality, as Rubin (280) reveals, is a social construct that is historically and culturally dependent on the social context, a concept that venerates it as a social institution. Part 2 Gender is not something people are but what they do. This is the reason why people will be aligned based on their social structure and construction. A good example of this is the attribution of transgender, a fallacy of sexual orientation whereby transgender individuals want to change their biological identification of gender and base it on physiological attributes. Transgender individual personality and gender expression do not imitate their affiliated birth sex because their behavior has been changed by the social environment that makes them want to be the opposite of their gender. This is clear that from birth, people are instilled with cultural meaning that defines people's sexual identity and sexual orientation. The understanding of heterosexual means being a product of a symbolic cultural order together with its organizing practices a philosophy that resides with Rubin (280) approach to heterosexuality. Heterosexuality is not just one affectional or sexual attraction but rather a social institution because people are products of society's meaning-making process. As a social institution, ...