Human sexuality is view differently all around the world depending on the different cultures. The article I was reading is by a Chinese native who expressed his view of sex and reproduction. He titled his paper "Sex and Reproduction: A Cross-Cultural View." He begins by speaking about how China contrasts itself with its immense population and lack of resources, long history and culture and lack of educational system, and large land and various levels of development.
He first writes that "human sex is expressed in four dimensions, which include genetics (sex determining genes and sex chromosomes), biology (sexual organs and the secondary sexual characteristics), psychology (desire to be a male or female), and sociology (social identity of gender)" (Mao). Mao goes on to explain that any dissociation of these dimensions was expressed as sexual deviation. He explains how the prevalence and incidence of sexual deviation in China are unknown. It was said that in old Chinese royal families, all male householders were castrated and in the old opera houses, only a male was allowed to play a female. These male actors who portrayed women through long term training and practicing lost his male identity (Mao) .Over a long period of time in China, mainstream attitudes towards sexual deviation were perceived negatively. This was considered more worrisome to parents of sexually deviated sons because this would be the stop to their family name and lineage.
According to the Chinese native, it was not possible to bring up sex and reproduction without bringing up marriage. Traditionally, it seemed that Chinese marriage and family were quite stable despite the few occurrences of divorce. Divorce was usually based on lack of communication, intolerable personality, and extreme unhappiness in family life (Mao) . When a couple divorces, it is always negatively connoted for women because it is assumed that the couple divorced due to unfaithfulness. When a divorced man remarries, he looks for a younger female and is not looked down upon unlike a divorced woman.
For married couples that make it work, the Chinese government had a family planning campaign to control the overpopulation crisis in China. Each couple was only allowed to have just one child. This brought forth many gender imbalances where the ratio for boys to girls was 115 to 100 in 1994 (Mao) . The government began to realize how much of a disaster this would be for China in the future, so they are allowing single-child-couples to have one more child. Mao ends his paper off with genetics and ethics and how these couples would benefit from the use of gender selection technologies.
My personal view on this article is that I think that everyone has a right to express who they are. I believe homosexuality or sexual deviation is a genetic condition in the sense that you are born in having a sense of you. I personally find homosexuality a little confusing and somewhat detestable, but I respect people and their choices to do whatever makes them happy. I feel as though its greedy for parents to put their lineage before their child's happiness. I grew up in a household where sex and reproduction is for the marriage bed and that's to be kept pure before marriage. I don't believe in divorce and the only exception would be abuse of any kind. I have seen the results of arranged marriages where people worked hard to keep their marriages intact and have lasted many, many years together. I also think that in our society a divorced man is accepted but a divorced woman is criticized, which I do not understand. It is as though women will always be looked down upon and women's movement hasn't progressed much. I don't think the government has a right to limit the number of children a couple is to have. I feel like if one couple wants 32 kids there are plenty of other couples in the world that do not want any children. I believe the world has a way of staying in balance with nature.
He first writes that "human sex is expressed in four dimensions, which include genetics (sex determining genes and sex chromosomes), biology (sexual organs and the secondary sexual characteristics), psychology (desire to be a male or female), and sociology (social identity of gender)" (Mao). Mao goes on to explain that any dissociation of these dimensions was expressed as sexual deviation. He explains how the prevalence and incidence of sexual deviation in China are unknown. It was said that in old Chinese royal families, all male householders were castrated and in the old opera houses, only a male was allowed to play a female. These male actors who portrayed women through long term training and practicing lost his male identity
According to the Chinese native, it was not possible to bring up sex and reproduction without bringing up marriage. Traditionally, it seemed that Chinese marriage and family were quite stable despite the few occurrences of divorce. Divorce was usually based on lack of communication, intolerable personality, and extreme unhappiness in family life
For married couples that make it work, the Chinese government had a family planning campaign to control the overpopulation crisis in China. Each couple was only allowed to have just one child. This brought forth many gender imbalances where the ratio for boys to girls was 115 to 100 in 1994
My personal view on this article is that I think that everyone has a right to express who they are. I believe homosexuality or sexual deviation is a genetic condition in the sense that you are born in having a sense of you. I personally find homosexuality a little confusing and somewhat detestable, but I respect people and their choices to do whatever makes them happy. I feel as though its greedy for parents to put their lineage before their child's happiness. I grew up in a household where sex and reproduction is for the marriage bed and that's to be kept pure before marriage. I don't believe in divorce and the only exception would be abuse of any kind. I have seen the results of arranged marriages where people worked hard to keep their marriages intact and have lasted many, many years together. I also think that in our society a divorced man is accepted but a divorced woman is criticized, which I do not understand. It is as though women will always be looked down upon and women's movement hasn't progressed much. I don't think the government has a right to limit the number of children a couple is to have. I feel like if one couple wants 32 kids there are plenty of other couples in the world that do not want any children. I believe the world has a way of staying in balance with nature.
Resources:
Mao, X. (n.d.). Sex and Reproduction: A Cross-Cultural View. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://90.146.8.18/en/archiv_files/20001/E2000_135.pdf
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