SOC 2070 Study Guide - Final Guide: Sertraline, Acne Vulgaris, Ignaz Semmelweis

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2070
• Professor: Norman Dubeski

Document Summary

To the essentialist, sexuality is real meaning it is something that exists in more or less standard form, everywhere for all time. Social constructionism asks questions about construction and imputation of meaning. We are sexual because we are social it is social life that creates, motivates and shapes our sexuality. Kinsey said that approximately 10% of people are gay. Now, people are more likely to believe that homosexuality relations should be legal (43% in 1977 vs. 55% in 2008). They are also more likely that homosexual teachers should be allowed to teach in elementary schools (27% in 1977 and 54% in 2005). The essentialist believes that homosexuality is innate and an orientation regardless of actual behaviour. Virtually all homosexuals today claim they are essentialists (they were born that way). The social constructionist emphasizes how varied the practice is and how people see it differently. They note that what is homosexuality for one person may not be for another.