Question

Explain the following concept with examples

Heteronormativity

Answer 1

1. The belief that people fall into distinct and complimentary genders (man and women) with natural roles in life.
2. It assumes the heterosexuality is the only sexual orientation or only norm and states that sexual and marital relations are most fining between people of opposite sex.
3. Heteronormativity is an assumption that all people are straight and only normal and natural expression of sexuality.
4. What constitutes appropriate behaviour for girls/women and boys/men is a result of social conditioning, indoctrination, and cultural definitions. Hence, there is variability between societies, as well as within groups in a specific society. This leads us to understand the dominance of 'heteronormativity' (that is the norm that reinforces and 'normalises' the gender binary) in society and in all its institutions such as family, marriage, polity, economy, religion etc.
   Example : Marriage between men and women gives them social recognition and support for an intimate relationship i.e., socially and legally approved in our society.