Changing Sexual Scripts

We propose three changes related to sexuality. First, the link between power and domination and sexuality must be broken and people must be encouraged to associate sexuality with equality and consent. If, indeed, some men are nonconsciously harassing because they are unaware of their mentally linking power and sex (Bargh & Raymond, 1995), such a sepa­ration is imperative.

Second, we must educate people to accept a wider variety of sexual scripts (Laws & Schwartz, 1977) (i. e., alternatives to the stereotypic con­ceptions of women as seductive and men as dominant, Murrell & Dietz — Uhler, 1993). Rather than questioning how single mothers, the physically disabled, gays, and lesbians can fulfill the expectations associated with the dominant sexual scripts in our society, we need to recognize existing alter­natives. We must provide support for those struggling to develop scripts and reaffirm that scripts are guidelines within which individuals should be able to privately negotiate with one another.

Third, being more open about sexuality may allow us to create or­ganizations that are not shaped with patriarchal conceptions of sexuality. Discussing rather than avoiding the topic of sexuality allows opportunities for introduction of alternative scripts and negotiation of existing ones to occur. And, in turn, through such exploration and discourse new concep­tualizations may be accepted.

Updated: 15.11.2015 — 01:33