SOC365H1 Lecture 4: SOC365 – March 15
Document Summary
Radical feminist have just begun looking at how the personal is political, esp. women"s sexual relations with men and heterosexuality. Heterosexuality here becomes an institution rather than a sexual practice. With its own norms, rituals, economic arrangements, etc: this brings up heteronormativity, norms/practices/ideologies/institutions that naturalize heterosexuality, monogamy, nuclear family, and domestic division of labour. At the same time it renders all else, including homosexuality, inferior and deviant. There are ideological and institutional dimensions: ideologically there are 3 modes of socialization into (compulsory) heterosexuality, females are naturally heterosexual, where homosexuality is made deviant, naturalizing and subordinating women in their relationship to men. Also women identify as women through heterosexual marriage (i. e. wedding industry, valentine"s day): lesbians are man haters, and stems from a hatred of men, male sex drive is overpowering and uncontrollable, to which women must submit. Religion, marriage, economy, and medicine are institutional frameworks that subordinate women. Men exhibit dominance over women due to compulsory heterosexuality: page 233,
