Sexual Stereotypes in Need of Overhaul

http://www.indianastatesman.com/opinion/sexual-stereotypes-in-need-of-overhaul-1.2974796#.UQ7o_qU0WSo

You would think that with the progress women have made in the workplace and in society that double standards about men and women when it comes to sex wouldn’t be a growing issue alongside with that success. It all starts with “gender roles” which date back far into history. Women are supposed to produce children and be “subservient” in the bedroom and men are expected to be masculine and aggressive about sex. Nowadays men are rewarded for having a lot of sex, and women are automatically called sluts or whores if they are at all sexually active outside of marriage. This article highlights one specific event where a woman was insulted for fighting for insurance that covers birth control. Rush Limbaugh responded to Sandra Fluke’s proposal by calling her a slut and a prostitute. Saying she is “having sex so frequently that she can’t afford all the birth-control pills that she needs.” Sandra never stated that she was having extreme amount of sex, nor did she need to say anything about her sex life. Whether it was one or more people, why should it be any of our business? The fact that she was insulted so severely for merely wanting something to prevent pregnancy, being a responsible sexually active woman, is just ridiculous. As the article states, if it were a man he would not have received this kind of reaction. Men are insured for Viagra, something that has nothing to do with being responsibly sexual active, but women can’t be insured for something that prevents unwanted pregnancy? Men are congratulated for being sexual, unlike women.

The article also brings up a little about how media teaches us to support these gender roles. In media, women villains are often overly sexual. This teaches children from a young age that “women who are sexually active or allude to being so are bad people.” The article suggests that we need to stop referring to women who have had sex as whores. As obvious as that sounds, it is easier said than done. “Whore” and “slut” are terms that are thrown around all the time by men and even by women. How can we ever make changes we need in order to stop women who are sexual from being ostracized, if women also toss around such oppressive terms?