Medical Intervention for Intersexed Children: Gender Unknown Essay

Medical Intervention for Intersexed Children: Gender Unknown What makes a person male or female? Who has the right to choose what sex a person should be? These are some common questions that parents have to face when their child is born as an "intersexed". "Intersex is a general term used for any form of congenital (inborn) mixed sex anatomy." A person who is considered intersexed has some parts of their sexual anatomy that look female and some that look male (Dreger). In the United States, "intersexed" is a taboo. Most people don't like to talk about sex, let alone, abnormalities having to do with sexual anatomy. Dreger stated, "1 in 2,000 children [are] born with genitals that are pretty confusing..." That means that being intersexed is more common than a well known medical condition, cystic fibrosis (2004). It makes one wonder that since this particular condition happens so often, why doesn't society speak more freely about it? When a child is first born and the gender is not quite clear, doctors will test the infant in many ways to determine which sex the baby should be. Some of the tests include, chromosomal, hormonal, and anatomical. The doctors also factor in the ability to create "functional" genitalia with the tissue that is already present. "Functional" usually means, "the ability to use the genitals for penetrative intercourse"(Yronwode). However, doctors usually choose to make the baby into a female because female genitalia is easier to construct (Beh & Diamond). Holmes wrote, "Invasive surgeries are thus carried out on children who are either pre-linguistic or unable to speak for themselves as legal minors." A child has a right to their body just as every human being does. He/she just does not have a v... ...Alice D. Ph.D (n.d.). What is Intersexuality. Retrieved March 16, 2004, from http://www.pflagdetroit.org /what_is_intersexuality. Htm Greenberg, Julie A. (1998, Feb.). ISNA's Amicus Brief on Intersex Genital Surgery. Retrieved March 16, 2004, from, http://www.isna.org/drupal/book/view/97?PHPSESSID=eeac2c6a4d64c46 410e664b3f75d 424a Holmes, Morgan. (1995). Queer Cut Bodies: Intersexuality & Homophobia In Medical Practice. Retrieved March 27, 2004, from, http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/ queerfrontiers/queer/papers/holme s.long.html Laurent, Bo. (1994 Nov.). Sexual scientists question medical treatment of hermaphroditism. Retrieved March 27, 2004, from http://inquirer.gn.apc.org/intersex.html Yronwode, Althaea.(n.d.).Intersex Individuals Dispute Wisdom Of Surgery On Infants. Retrieved March 27, 2004, from, http://www.luckymojo.com/tkintersex. html

Link between Gender Inequality and Economic Growth

The Link between Gender Inequality and Economic Growth It is not generally seen that the economy and gender development are interconnected in terms of each other's influence and their development process. However, this correlation is well-explained by the fact that if women's employment rates were raised to 70 percent, which is closer to that of many developed nations, the annual Gross Domestic Product (GAP) of Asia would increase by up to 2-4 percent (United Nations in China, 2010). Indeed, economic growth has impacts on gender inequality levels both positively and negatively, whereas gender inequality hampers economic growth as a whole.Connell (2009, 1 1) defines the term gender as â€Å"the structure of social relations that centers on the reproductive arena, and the set of practices that bring reproductive distinctions between bodies into social processes. † Gender inequality refers to the unequal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men (ASSAI, 2001). E conomic growth is defined by an increase in the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services, compared to one period to another (Riley, 2012).For example, gender inequality can be a barrier to the process f development by weakening the ability of household members to engage in productive activities. At the same time, structural changes that accompany the development process can significantly weaken/loosen the constraints that women and men face when they work towards new economic approaches. This paper analyses the links between gender inequality and economic growth and the complexity associated with this relationship. In order to examine the link between gender inequality and economic growth, it is important to have a clear understanding of some key concepts.Firstly, social construction is a key concept that is used to understand how people build and organize ideas, actions and thoughts around a perception through cultural and social influence (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008). Next, gender relation is the interaction of different masculinity and femininity to shape the power dominance of the society (March et al, 1999). Moreover, globalization â€Å"is the process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones. It is the notion of a shrinking world including unequal flows of labor, capital and ideas† (Stilling, 2002).It is also crucial to understand gender accountability in analyzing the relationship between economic growth and gender inequality. Gender accountability refers to the process by which members of a society hold others accountable for transgressing or defying traditional social expectations of gender (West and Zimmerman, 1987). Gender performance is creating differences between women and men and their interaction with others which are not natural or biologically based (West and Zimmerman, 1987). Finally, gendered division of labor refers to the ways in which certain Jobs or tasks become ge ndered in a patriarchal society (March et al, 1999).There are positive aspects of economic growth that help to shorten the gender gap, especially in the decision- making power within households despite the certain exceptional cases that function in the reverse order. In most circumstances, economic development reduces the disadvantages faced by women. Firstly, economic development plays a huge role in women education (World Bank, 2011 b). Women work under low-wage conditions partly because of the poverty at their homes. It is not that women prefer to supply labor at a very low wage, but they are forced to do so in order to manage the financial condition at home.Once the economic stability at family level improves, the number of women who go into low-wage Jobs for their poor economic condition at home reduces and the low-wage Jobs would no longer be reserved for women. For example, the workers in garment factories in Bangladesh, a major source of export earnings, are mostly women, an d as the cost of living increases, the cost of women not going to work exceeds the cost of them working in low-wage Jobs (Siberia 1995). Secondly, poor economic condition makes women less aware about hygiene, and they cannot afford to medical expenditures, especially during menstruation period and pregnancy.It creates an environment for the employers to consider women as weakness and less productive (World Bank, 2011 b). Economic growth increases women's health care that result in improved level of women's fitness to any career. Eventually, sexist attitudes of employers about suitable tasks for women change. For example, the enrollment of women in Engineering, which requires field work, has been increasing day by day (Unguent, 2000). Thirdly, economic growth brings up changes in decision-making power of men and women at household level. It challenges the social construction that men are the breadwinners of a household.Rising income levels at household level associated with increased household expenditures challenges the patriarchal system and creates pathways for women to enter into Job market. However, it might affect the gender relations at home that men would not accept their power to be shared. Siberia explains the use of women's earnings in household spending: My husband likes that my income is for luxuries, for the little things that catch my fancy. Although sometimes I pay for household things, during difficult months. He tells me, it is his Job to provide for food, clothing, rent and other necessities. Siberia, 1995:) It portraits the men's perception that they do not want their women to contribute towards the economy of the family due to the social construction of men as breadwinners. In contrast, economic growth as an outcome of globalization creates opportunities for women to become empowered and to report violence against women. Women are mostly exposed to different social contexts that in turn heighten awareness about gender equality and the need for alleviating gender discrimination that they were not aware of and women's dependency on men.My experience at AY-JAW is itself a good example of how an exposure to different social context can hence a person's attitudes towards gender discrimination and violence. Five years back from now, if I were asked if it is fine for men to have the entire power within households, I would say yes'. However, if the same question is asked now, my answer would be ‘no'. Finalization of labor migration, which refers to the trend of growing employment of women which is possible mostly because of the expansion of technological improvement, trade and capital flows (Legal terms, Definitions and Dictionary, n. ). Also gives opportunities for women to get exposed to other countries where women can learn that they should get equal rights. Having experienced the effects of gender accountability in other countries and knowing that women's equality is important, once they get back to their home socie ties, there is a high possibility that they will fight against gender discrimination. Exposure to different social context might lead women to be more aware about the social norms and patriarchy of their own society that favored men (Ridgeway, 1997).They would eventually come forward to make changes in the society that results in reducing gender gap in the society. However, economic development does not always help to narrow down the gender AP; rather, in certain cases, it increases the socio-economic vulnerability of women. Despite the economic development and the increasing women's participation in the labor force, the incidence of sex-selective abortions and the absolute number of ‘missing women', coined by Mammary Seen (2003) refers to the terrible deficit of women in substantial parts of Asian and north Africa, which arises from sex bias in relative care, are growing.The critical condition is further explained by the fact that â€Å"China and India together account for m ore than 85 million of the nearly 100 million missing† women estimated to have died from discriminatory treatment in health care, nutrition and nutrition access or pure neglect, or because they were never born in the first place† (United Nations in China, 2010). In rural areas of Asia, the social construction of femininity that all girls/women should get married is strongly followed. The societies develop a gendered centralization that parents take the responsibility of marrying women off once girl children are born itself (Slakes at el, 2003).Women do not get enough gains from the new paid-employment opportunities. They are given opportunities to paid workforce, at the same time they re employed in insecure environment that does not make any changes in the level of gender inequality. For example, even though women are given permission by their husbands or families to work in garment industries, they are often abused by their employers, not allowed to go to toilets even when they are urgent (Siberia, 1995). Violence against women is high even when they work for longer hours than men do (Ridgeway, 1997).After understanding how economic growth affects gender inequality, it is crucial to understand how gender inequality hampers economic growth. Most importantly, economic growth is hampered by the constraints that keep omen involved in unpaid work, and the unequal opportunities that favor men over women (Beerier et al 2004). Women's Jobs in export industries such as textiles and garments have been important in generating foreign currency earnings. Dependence on women workers in labor-intensive, export-oriented manufacturing has become a common pattern across Asia as women's share of manufacturing employment rose during their export drives.Therefore, gender inequality has negative impacts on economic growth. Furthermore, gender inequality in education and employment hampers economic growth. The low level of access to education for women is linked with h igher rates of fertility and lower savings rates. Rising fertility can reduce investment in children's education and health. (Ridgeway, 1997). Moreover, inequality in education can contribute to women's unequal household bargaining power, affecting the distribution of household resources.The unequal decision-making power at household level might affect the overall household management, and thus prohibits the development process of households given the resources. For instance, a sole member making all the decisions would not be as effective as the incidence here both husband and wife together make decisions, with a mutual understanding of the benefit-cost analysis (Unguent, 2000). However, it is the social construction in Asian societies that a woman in a household being more educated would be considered as a threat to the men's masculinity.Men make sure that the income brought to home by women would not be spent to main household spending, but on luxuries (Siberia, 1995). Indeed, me n preserve the socially constructed norm that men have the control over the income and transgressing would affect the gender relations. Additionally, systematic differences in investments in girls' and boys' education can lead to Job sector inefficiency due to distortion in skill levels (Bosnian, 2003). Investing too much in less-talented men and investing too little in competent women reduces the total productivity in the economy (Bosnian, 2003).In other words, gendered division of labor arises where the labor queues become gender queues because employers rank males as more valuable workers than females (Resin and Ross, 1990). When employers hire workers, they take into consideration about the loss of their institutions' productivity level, especially the maternity leave that women take (Timekeepers, 2012). Employers make an assumption that all women will get pregnant and have children. The assumption is basically developed from the socially constructed idea of femininity that all women will have children.Against the assumption, the enforcement of maternity leave legislation in Taipei, China led to a 2. 5-percentage-point increase in women's employment (Civilize and Rodgers, 2003). In some patriarchal societies, certain Jobs are allocated only for men. For example, in northern part of Sir Lankan, CNN (three wheeler) drivers were usually male, and the government introduced a plan that allows female to be CNN drivers. After some time, an accident occurred in which the fault was found to be on the side of CNN driver who is a female. Based on the incident, there were some controversies regarding whether to allow the women do be CNN drivers further.However, the point to be noted here is that there were so many accidents held earlier to the particular event, and they were committed by male CNN drivers. No inquiries were done to the male drivers, but when the same incidence is caused by women, they held up to scrutiny. It again shows the gender discrimination in soc ieties, and people being more critical when gender norms are transgressed. In addition, sexist unequal expectations of gender performance are other constraints that affect economic growth at the household levels.Men and women are sometimes pressured to perform gender according to what is acceptable in their particular society, rather than thinking about rational choices about family income. For example, Sir Lankan male cleaners go to Middle Eastern countries to financially support their families (Near, 2010). Although they are involved in feminizes Jobs' abroad, when they return to their societies, they do not keep involving in feminizes activities because they think this would be a wreath to their masculinity (Near, 2010).As a result, men, who strongly support the patriarchal system of men as breadwinners of a family, fail minimize the costs within households by not accounting the female labor force participation. In order to address the barriers to the development of economy and g ender, a strong foundation for policy implementations that alleviate the constraints that women face should be considered. These will include remedying heavy time burdens devoted to unpaid work, regulations that favor men, inadequate public infrastructure, insufficient access to agricultural inputs, discriminatory practices in the labor market, and social constructions.Asian governments have also paid relatively limited attention to gendered vulnerabilities in their social protection policies (ILL and ADS, 2011). By decreasing gender inequality, from the household level to major indexes, a country's overall economy can be developed at a faster pace (Ridgeway, 1997) Likewise, as economic development occurs, we have to make sure that it will not lead to a path in which gender inequality grows even more. Works Cited Beerier, G. , Y. Rodgers, and J. Civilize. 004. International Trade and Gender Wage Discrimination: Evidence from East Asia.

Essay on Taming of the Shrew Stand by Your Man - 1402 Words

The Taming of the Shrew: Stand by Your Man - The Psychotherapist Perspective The universal nature of the themes in The Taming of the Shrew, beg analysis and social critique. This comedic farce, by William Shakespeare, creates an elegant depiction of a modern life and romantic love with all of its masks and pretensions. It is easy to assume the perspective of a psychotherapist while witnessing the drama of Katherine and Petruchio’s love affair unfolding. Concepts like â€Å"emotional repression† and â€Å"therapeutic catharsis† neatly fit the â€Å"taming† scenario. In fact, this play offers many new insights into what it takes to create an enduring, viable marriage—if one understands it from a very contemporary, psychotherapeutic or†¦show more content†¦Hadn’t she arrived at a splendid state transcendent of societal concepts like â€Å"patriarchy† and â€Å"matriarchy?† In Act IV, scene 3, there is evidence that Kate knew her â€Å"shrewishness† as a kind of disease: My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, Or else my heart concealing it will break, And rather than it shall I will be free Even to the uttermost as I please in words. (lines, 77-80) She is a â€Å"shrew† because a snarl of anger and perhaps jealousy had twisted itself deep inside her and sought occasional release. We gradually learn that her father had favored his younger and perhaps more attractive daughter, Bianca. Kate had continually been placed second in her father’s affections and perhaps had felt forced to take on this â€Å"shrewish† persona in order to shield her hurt and neglect. So, is â€Å"shrewishness† her character or is it a protective, strategy of survival? If it’s indeed a defense mechanism, we can feel sympathy for her extreme behavior which we sense is only superficial and transitory—masking a truer, more substantial nature in need of healing. In the above lines, Kate is explaining why she has such a shrewish disposition. This scene takes place toward the culmination of her â€Å"taming†Ã¢â‚¬â€after the wild, tempestuous courtship when a headstrong Petruchio pursued Kate’sShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Taming Of The Shrew And Of Clytemnestra1550 Words   |  7 Pagessociety. This essay seeks to create an understanding of the symbolic characters of Katherina in Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of The Shrew’ and of Clytemnestra in Aeschylus’s ‘Agamemnon’. By exploring both texts in conjunction, it comes to attention that both female characters play masculine roles to be able to achieve their dominance stance. Both women not only revel the real life female, but also depicts to the audience the double bind due to the patriarchal world they live in. This essay will show howRead MoreBenedick’s Change of Heart by the End of Act 2 Scene 3 of William Shakespea res Much Ado About Nothing2295 Words   |  10 Pagesplay would have been acted out by men and it was not until the 19th century that women had a role in theatre. Women were property to be bought by men or used as prostitutes. Women did not speak up; any that did were branded a shrew and needed taming. Virginity was a virtue, therefore it was demanded a bride should be a virgin and once a wife, should be faithful. Shakespeare explores these men’s attitudes to the place of women in society and incorporates his own opinionsRead MoreLiterature and Language10588 Words   |  43 Pagesdaughter the last mistresses Of that black block condemmed to stand, not crash. The sentence in line 2 of this verse that starts with But in the fifth is unusual in that the predicate of the sentence is made up of a sequence of embedded elements, as we can see if we write them out in a full form: â€Å"A chipped sill buttresses mother and daughter who are the last mistresses of that black block which is condemned to stand, not crash.† Furthermore, the main verb in this sentence is buttressRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 PagesFour Believers Who Stressed Humor: Kierkegaard, Chesterton, Niebuhr, and Auden 27 Conclusion 34 Copyright  © 2011 by Walter G. Moss WISDOM, HUMOR, AND FAITH: A HISTORICAL VIEW â€Å"And frame your mind to mirth and merriment, / Which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.† Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Induction, Scene 2. â€Å"Laughter without a tinge of philosophy is but a sneeze of humor. Genuine humor is replete with wisdom.† Mark Twain, quoted in Opie Percival Read, Mark Twain and I (1940)