Female Empowerment Groups are turning their Attention towards Female Sexuality

Within the last thirty or so years, feminism has become a large focus for many groups within the United States. From supporting women’s rights in the home to their work place, more and more people are becoming involved with the state of women’s affairs. With the turn of the century, we have had an increasing focus on sexuality for all genders. The media is becoming bolder with what is acceptable to talk about on the air. Yet female sexuality still remains hindered by many stigmas that present the idea of a women being sexual as a moral crime. Much of these ideas are due to the heterosexual schema for dating. Female empowerment group Pure Romance’s Consultant, Dominique Thoemmes explains the basic nature of benevolent sexism within the heterosexual dating scene.

Benevolent sexism is widely considered acceptable by both men and women 

The entire concept of benevolent sexism states that in a heterosexual relationship, the male is obligated to present assistance to women due to their fragile and angelic nature. Thoemmes noted that according to many studies, women are generally accepting of benevolent sexism or do not see it as sexist at all. Some women reported that they in fact deserve this sort of treatment and expect it from men. Thoemmes explained that within the dating scene, benevolent sexism is used a means to expect sexual participation of women without sullying their reputation by having them ask for it. Instead of the woman seeking out a sexual encounter, she waits for the man to exhibit taking charge of the date, such as paying for their meal, walking her home or assisting her with some other issue. Because the male has helped her or provided for in some way, many women and men have reported that they would then expect sexual favors as a means of repaying the man for his service. Thoemmes also noted that due to the nature of waiting to express sexuality within their relationships, many women also did not feel comfortable exploring their sexuality by themselves or that they could not speak of it with anyone, unless they wished to be seen as an immoral figure.

Part of encouraging better sexual attitudes for women lies in breaking this stereotype that a women expressing her sexuality is uncommon and immoral. Many women are dating longer and marrying later, and within college, there are a lot of groups encouraging women to explore their sexuality on a solo basis. Pure Romance focuses on educating women in terms of both enjoying themselves and healthy ways to express their desires within their heterosexual relationships. While Thoemmes notes that Pure Romance focuses on heterosexual couples, they do adjust their presentations and offer some products for women of alternate sexualities. Their reasoning for focusing on heterosexual couples is due to the sexism factor that has limited many heterosexual women from addressing their own sexual and health concerns. Thoemmes explains how Pure Romance attempts to educate women within all facets of their sexuality.

 Female Empowerment Groups feel it necessary to focus on changing the lack of health information provided to women

Thoemmes talked of how many women are not only unwilling to explore their sexuality, they have very little knowledge when it comes to their sexual health. Pure Romance’s consultants are trained to address these issues by reaching out to women with a variety of materials, including books, blogs and forums allowing women to only become informed but reach out to each other through these methods. Thoemmes stated that cancer remains a large gray area for many women in terms of knowledge, and Pure Romance has attempted to combat this with their online presence. But in keeping with Pure Romance’s focus, they have made a point to include encouraging sexuality for women with cancer. Many media outlets have featured them for the positive attitude they are helping women to achieve by providing sexual tips and assistance for women with cancer. Thoemmes also said that the training of Pure Romance’s consultants allows them to continuously keep up with new trends in dating and health.

Many empowerment groups are reporting increases in sexual acceptance of women by all genders after attending one of their presentations

These tools have allowed women to educate themselves the way they wish to be educated. This is as important in allowing women to understand their sexuality, as they now have the freedom to seek out information they are comfortable with. Since Pure Romance focuses on heterosexual couples, they make sure to note hesitations women feel in how to conduct themselves in the relationship and are encouraged to be much more expressive of their desires.

Thoemmes noted that in one study, represented by the chart above, this focus of many feminism groups has been felt, as many women are becoming more willing to experiment sexually. There has been a significant increase in the willingness of women to go after new sexual partners despite other hesitations, and Pure Romance reports that their presentations have illuminated many women on health concerns they were unaware of.

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Female Sexuality is Becoming a Larger Focus for Gender Empowerment Groups: Final Project

                Within the last ten years, we have seen a surge of gender empowerment focused groups who fight for equality of both genders in many aspects of our daily lives. Female sexuality still remains a taboo topic which we often dismiss or regard as less important in terms of equality. The double standards women and men face come from the expectation of heterosexual behavior of both men and women. The terms we use to refer to sexual exploits between men and women vary due to these expectations. In the way men and women act, we expect certain responses known as heterosexual scripts. Many men and women still believe it is an expectation for men to pay for dinner and for women to ‘repay’ men with sex. Other expectations include that women who express their sexuality openly are considered ‘sluts’ while men who do the same are considered ‘studs’. These attitudes contribute to women not only adhering to these heterosexual scripts but also in their personal sexual habits. A lot of women will not participate in solo sexual behavior due to these stereotypes regarding women and do not seek out information regarding their sexual abilities as well as their sexual health. For these reasons, many groups now exist which attempt to not only combat the stereotypes presented in heterosexual situations, but also to educate women on their personal sexuality and attitudes. By making this information available to broad group of women as well as men, these stereotypes can be broken and everyone can participate in healthier, safer sex which everyone can enjoy.

1.       What are some focuses of gender empowerment groups? How do they assist in promoting female sexuality and how is this information targeted towards both genders?

2.       (As according the Good & Rudman 2010 study) Why are women much more accepting of benevolent sexism and why is it expected within the heterosexual dating scene?

What Does the Internet Bring to the Table that Television Doesn't?

Television has been one of the most successful mediums of information transfer. The continuous adaptation of content to suit viewers has allowed it to continue as the number one choice of media for decades. While radio and other mediums had a long standing presence prior to television, many factors only available to TV users allowed it to quickly overtake them in popularity. The ability to record programs and watch them at later times allowed a greater audience, compared to the set schedule of a radio broadcast. Similarly against its film adaptation counterpart, television was not limited to the timed viewings of movie theatres. Television also contained the ability to quickly adapt to what viewers wanted to see from the programs beyond the audio, as accompanying visuals were much more easily processed by the audience. The ability for an audience to see visuals of crime and other features was more engaging and at times shocking.

 In America, the most common form of receiving news is through television.

           The major functions of television include surveillance, correlation, entertainment and cultural transmission. Since the images of a news television show can be quickly and easily processed, surveillance through television has continued to be utilized both in the home and out. Many commercial areas, including shopping centers, restaurants and doctors will include a television in their building. Since television is so common everywhere one goes, it is easy to stay in touch with what is happening out in the world. Entertainment also plays a large role as a function of television. As channels continue to expand, more content focused on niche groups is created through entertaining television shows. No other medium has expressed the ability to tailor itself to the varying tastes of its audience.  Alternate sources are limited without the combination of visuals, audio and text that television offers.
 

  While the internet has provided alternate means of obtaining the same content you’d find on television, it has not overtaken TV’s presence.
             This is likely to change in the future due to the express nature of the internet. Where television had made a quick change to the pace of receiving content against other mediums, the internet continues to develop faster and faster tools. The support of internet on more and more devices is a large part of this speed. Services such as Twitter allow rapid-fire exchange of information, and with an internet-ready device, users can be instantly alerted to everything new. Internet users are also not tied down to the content provided by the broadcasters. While television has adapted quickly to viewers tastes, the internet once again does it faster. Users are able to easily and quickly create their own content regarding their interests and easily find others’ content as well. Video on Demand also allows users to bypass the schedules set by broadcasters. Instead of recording for a later date, they can simply purchase the content and watch it at any time. Certain services are beginning to cater exclusively to these crowds, such as Netflix with their new show House of Cards, available for streaming instantly without a week’s wait between episodes. This isn’t to say the internet does not encourage television to some degree. The widespread availability of TV show clips has allowed more users to become aware of shows or programs which they then might watch on television. This support is most likely why television continues to outweigh internet as a medium.

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