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Sexuality was dominated by male sexuality. Women were virtuous or immoral. Women?s sexuality was structured around the emotional and sexual dominance of men. Still the case today.
There are fundamental changes occurring today-
Family and marriage are more open and reflexive.
The family is no longer an economic unit.
Sexual equality maybe far from reality, but women everywhere claim autonomy and equality.
Disentangling emotional life from the dualism of women is difficult and is associated with violence, or certain kinds of sexual violence.
To Giddens there is no route back to the traditional family. The traditional family was rooted in different structures from those of the contemporary world and these structures are becoming globalised.
The demise of the idealized 1950?s family is a good thing. It was based on an imbalance of power ? not compatible with democracy.
The repression of homosexuality and homosexual rights is not compatible with democracy.
The repression of freedom of choice is not compatible with democracy.
So what happens next?
The self increasingly becomes reflexive ? In the West you can?t have a self unless you continually actively work on it. Your sense of continuity in life comes from your construction of it yourself. The way you dress or look.
Our everyday lives are a process of continually telling and retelling our life histories in order to make a life history.
The body becomes increasing reflexive ? the end of nature.
The body is being invade by reflexive forms of knowledge (diet) and technology
Anorexia and eating disorders are expressions of the difficulty women have in defining their role. Free but at the same time you most conform to a particular look.
Plastic sexuality
It is sexuality that has no object until you give it one. It is sexuality that has to be reflexively worked on.
Move from heterosexual to homosexual, to bisexual, back to heterosexual?
The source of our greatest worry, so difficult, problematic, so important ? obsessions, addiction, compulsions ? violence.
Democracy of the Emotions
What makes democracy work = what makes a good relationship work.
Equality ? in a good sexual or personal relationship the other is equal to you.
Autonomy ? there is a degree of freedom in how they define their personal space within the relationship.
Respect ? You respect the need and interests of the partner.
Communication ? the invention of intimacy ? it means self-disclosure. Opening yourself up to the other person.
Free from violence - Many however are not.
These are values, not reality. As with countries, families may aspire to the above definition of democracy but fall short.
These all add up to the possibility of family forms that could recapture strong family life. A long way to go and is it even possible?
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