Lauren Cartwright
From a young age, there are expectations defining each gender’s role and behavior in society. In early childhood, girls are taught to be timid, dainty, and sweet. Boys are taught to be strong, aggressive, and bold. Gender socialization teaches that when a little girl gets in trouble for fighting, she is told that her behavior is “unladylike”. However, when a boy gets in trouble for fighting, people use the phrase “boys will be boys”. Double standards continue to dominate our culture into adulthood.
The biggest standard women and men are judged differently on is the amount of sexual partners one has. Single women are perceived as wanting a monogamous relationship, while men just want casual sex. Men are given high praise for the more women they have intercourse with. Yet women are scrutinized with derogatory slurs such as “slut,” “skank” and “whore” if they engage in casual sex.
Even within marriage, there are double standards about sexuality. Men are seen as the unfaithful sex in a relationship. Studies have shown that is a myth, and women cheat equally as much as men, if not more. According to the Nation Opinion Research Center, a 2010 study shows that women are 40 percent more likely to cheat than men within the last 20 years. Why were men considered the unfaithful sex? Men have a stronger sex drive, and are considered to think about sex every few seconds of the day. When men have a wandering eye in a relationship, they are “just being men” because they can help themselves. It’s a fact that men do have a stronger sex drive, but women have a high sex drive as well.
Women and men should be seen as equal, this includes sexual activity. A woman should not be deemed as “loose” because she explores her sexual desire with various partners. Men should not be pardoned from cheating, because it’s their nature due to a stronger sex drive. Times will continue to change, and people need to steer away from simple gender stereotypes.
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