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Assignment 6

Heterosexuality being institutionalized forces all women to be seen and regarded as having to fit a certain role, which in turn, oppresses them. This idea of women only being able to be heterosexual is forced upon on them by men and being lesbian is seen as taboo or even not existent in our society. In media, such as movies, shows, and art, women are mostly shown to be in heterosexual relationships, whereas lesbian relationships are almost never shown. Chick flicks, for example, almost always show a woman and man trying to pursue a relationship with each other. But then there are almost none showing a woman and woman relationship. The way the media sort of ignores the existence of lesbian relationships further perpetuates how society forces women into having heterosexual relationships, as women feel less comfortable admitting they are lesbian and even less are comfortable confronting problems that are oppressing them in everyday life.   Women are paid less in a work place because of this institutionalization as they are still seen as below men. They are taken advantage of sexually and if they refuse, they risk losing their job to the men that are trying to control their sexuality and how they express it. Many cultures still see women as objects that can be gifted in marriage or used in rape. In general, women are seen as needing men to survive and if they don’t, they are perceived to be abnormal even though being lesbian shouldn’t have such a huge taboo around it. These underlying social norms forces women into not being able to express their sexuality and in turn many women are stuck in heterosexual relationships that they are not happy with. It is also hard for women to identify with being lesbian as society does not talk about it openly and tries to hide it, forcing female thoughts and ideas to be dominated by male ones.