Teacher-student sexual standards

Traditional social norms deem that the proper pursuance of a primitive fix is to be initiated by the male counterpart, and it is viewed as unsophisticated and desperate for a female to assume that role. While this may be considered one of the standard rules to play by, it really depends which side you are on. A sexual initiative by a male is a much more domineering act, and it can be mutually received or harshly demoralized. On the flip side, sexual enticement by a female gives the male a thrill, and many men in our society view this uncustomary gesture as highly flattering.
When we consider these habitual practices of male and female relations, are the same circumstances translatable when one party is a trust figure, and the other categorized as young and innocent? Consider, for example, the issue of teacher-student sex, and how it should prompt investigation into the motives behind the professionals responsible for nurturing the growth of students in an educational setting.              
Anger, disgust, disbelief...these are the emotions that are conjured when news strikes of a teacher accused of sexually victimizing a student. It is a reprehensible act which has profound consequences that permeate society, causing a wariness of educators and shaking faith in the safety of our school systems. Thankfully, it is a headline that doesn’t surface successively. Nonetheless, it is an incident that still happens too frequently.
A crucial component of this twisted “romance” is how the line between traditionally assumed male and female roles is blurred. Recent patterns of punishment for teachers indicted for having sexual relations with their students portrays a double standard based on the gender of the educator.
The excuses that arise when a female has taken advantage of a male student commonly denote the idea of a real “relationship” having existed between the two parties, allowing for a sentence to quickly diminish from harsh punishment to simple probation, especially if there is any proof that the interaction was consensual.
Additionally, cultural preconceptions of the macho male, typically considered to be free from susceptibility to sexual victimization, are even projected onto ingenuous 10-year-old boys. This can hinder justice being met and alleviate the severance of the sentence due to the fact that even after accusations are filed, the young male may retract their statement for fear of embarrassment.
The notion that the role of the victim is reserved for females has created a questionable imbalance within the legal system, even when it is a male teacher accused of violating a young girl. It is unhesitatingly expected that society rush to the protection of any young child sexually manipulated by an adult, but is there less sympathy and heartbreak when the victim is a boy rather than a girl? Instinctively, we respond with a firm “no.” Unfortunately, a simple review of past cases reveals that this reaction has not been carried through the final stages of punishment.
Male teachers caught pursuing a young girl are labeled as evil and perverse, often serving the maximum sentence. The sexual liaisons between a female teacher and a young boy have a prevailing sense that the degree of emotional harm done to the male student does not breed the same effects as it would for a young girl. Why? Largely because of the overriding norms of courtship invariably existing in our society. While we may fall back on these societal criterion to tag the offenses of a male authority as more horrific, we cannot offer this proposition and attempt to use it as a defense for female teachers when the act of the crime is against males.