Women's Sexuality: Then and Now

Introduction

Women’s sexuality is reaching its peak in today’s world in terms of the ability to freely practice and talk about it. This, however, was not always the case. In Victorian times, women were not allowed to enjoy sexual satisfaction and were often considered to be responsible for the moral decline of society if they did. Sexuality has evolved into what it is today through the writings of many activists, a change in view of what is considered morally right, and more emphasis being placed on the sexual act as something that is natural and acceptable in women’s lives.

Sexual Activity

Victorian Era

Victorian women were not allowed to freely engage themselves in sexual acts unless it was with the specific purpose of procreation. A woman’s worth before marriage rested in her chastity, and once married she was expected to only engage in conjugal acts when necessary. The need for sex was acknowledged, but only in regards to its evolutionary use. Any sexual desires experienced by women were considered to be in contradiction with the proper definition of virtue. According to The Physician and Sexuality in Victorian America by John S. Haller Jr., and Robin M. Haller, sexual promiscuity was an “ominous indication of national decay,” and not a sign of women’s liberation. (91)

Although this was the mainstream view during Victorian times, many early love manuals actually emphasized sexual intercourse for pleasure. The idea was that both man and woman would be equal in the marriage bed and should meet each other equally in this conjugal act. A women’s interest in sex depended upon her ability to seek satisfaction along with the male. Sex could be an enjoyable act that extended beyond procreation, but at the same time it was still cautioned to refrain from indulging in intercourse too frequently.

Attitudes began to change during the 1840’s with the writings of Sylvester Graham. He focused on health aspects of conjugal discourse and advised even less frequency in these acts than previous manuals. William Acton wrote in Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Organs, that women experienced no need for sex. He believed that women were apathetic to the notion of sex in marriage. Mary Wood Allen, M.D., Superintendent of the Purity Department of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, believed that “the most genuine love between a husband and a wife existed in the lofty sphere of platonic embrace.”(Haller 101). Some manuals also supported the idea of marital continence, which is the “ voluntary and entire absence from sexual indulgence in any form.” (Haller 124). Women who sought sexual satisfaction were thought to be not leading God-filled lives.

There were also many challenges to the belief that women had no need for sexual gratification. Elizabeth Blackwell, a physician, believed that female’s lack of sexual lust came from a fear of injury in childbirth. She also thought that women were passive because men would be rushed to perform quickly, leaving them without gratification. Other doctor’s even took this notion further to say that a women’s capacity for sexual gratification was at times more intense and prolonged than the male’s. The writers of the Alkaloidal Clinic (1891) said that lack of women’s education had taught them to believe that sexual feeling was ‘indecent and immoral.’ The result was a race of sexless creatures, ‘married nuns,’ who experienced no pleasurable feeling the vagina during sex. (Haller 100). Although many attempts to counteract Acton’s arguments were brought up, his views remained the dominant mode of feeling throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. This lack of education and understanding of women about the need for sexual fulfillment resulted in high instances of hysteria.

Modern Era

A quiet but significant sexual revolution for women began in the 1950’s with the writing of Simone De Beauvoir. As stated inSexuality and Motherhood by Irene Walton, she brought up the importance of the clitoris in female stimulation and the notion of sex for purely pleasure. The growth of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1950’s was also very important. It went against the idea that the vagina was the sole source for orgasm, and contradicted the Freudian notion of the clitoris as an inferior counterpart to the male penis. Although Freud’s notion of the clitoris was wrong, he did believe that one of the fundamental aspects of sexuality was to achieve pleasure in the erogenous zones, which was very advanced thinking for the time.

The 1960’s counterculture and predominant ideas of leading lives filled with ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll,’ also signified an advancement for women’s sexuality. The 1960’s are often times referred to as the decade of the ‘sexual revolution,’ free love and sexual gratification being at the top of the agenda. Women’s sexuality was no longer confined within the boundaries of conjugal interactions. It was not until the 1970’s, however, that premarital sex became more widely accepted as a social norm. Women’s sexuality also became part of the political agenda at this time. Activists argued that capitalism restrains sexual freedom.

According to Female Sexuality by Precilla Y.L. Choi and Paula Nicolson, in the years since the 1960’s the sexual ‘double standard’ has been lifted. Sexual pleasure is not just something to be enjoyed by men; it is for women as well. It has become more socially acceptable for women to enjoy the pleasure of sex and reach orgasm. Research has shown that women have different sexual needs than men. This was often ignored in early sexology. Women require different stimulation to achieve orgasm, and men, in order for women to reach gratification, must acknowledge this.

Masturbation

Victorian Era

Masturbation can also be seen as a form of women’s sexuality that has evolved since the Victorian era. Masturbation was seen as a moral disgrace and was shunned by the majority of society. It was blamed to be the causes of diseases such as heart disorders, cancer and hysteria. The editor of the New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal, went so far as to say that even if masturbation wasn’t the cause of the diseases that the engaging in it would further the disease. According to the website, Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Circumcision, and Dr. Joseph Jones, a former president of the Louisiana State Board of Health, masturbation resulted in ‘hopeless insanity.’ This insanity could also be inherited from the offspring of a person that masturbated. As a result, many females thought to be masturbating were subject to a clitoridectomy, or removal of the clitoris. Although this was often a drastic measure and by no means the norm, it still shows the strict code of virtue imposed on sexuality in the Victorian age.

Modern Era

Nowadays, masturbation has become less of a social illness and more accepted. According to the Transformation of Intimacy by Anthony Giddens, 90 percent of men and 40 percent of women have admitted to masturbating at some point in their life. (16) Masturbation is encouraged as a way to seek sexual stimulation without the aid of a partner. This is most important in females because often times a woman’s first orgasm will be experienced during masturbation. This helps women become more familiar with their bodies and more apt to achieve sexual gratification or orgasm during intercourse.

Homosexuality

Victorian Era

Homosexuality as a descriptive term came about during the 1860’s, although the practice of same gender sexual relations existed far before this time period. (Walton 130). Homosexuality was viewed as the practices of a sinner and that the person did not have any sort of mental defect. During this time period it was believed that men only engaged in homosexual practices. Queen Victoria was quoted as saying, “ladies would never engage in such despicable acts…” Although this is not true, studies have found that men were more likely to be involved in homosexual relations than females. After the 1860’s there was a shift in societal view of homosexuals from the person being a sinner to them being a ‘social deviant’ or ‘pervert.’

Modern Era

Views on homosexuality as a lifestyle have come a far way since Victorian times, but it is a topic that is still widely disputed. Up until the 1980’s it was still thought that homosexuality was a sickness that could be caused by a weak father and dominant mother. Freud argued that homosexuals are not social deviants and to separate them from society is wrong. (Walton 131) Although lesbians have not been as persecuted under the law as gay men, they have still endured many hardships. Clitoridectomy’s were at one point a proper ‘cure’ for lesbianism. Lesbian’s also are in jeopardy of being exiled from their church, banned from adopting, and being questioned about their ability as parents. This all stems from their sexuality. There have also been increased efforts in the last ten years to prove that homosexuality isn’t as much of a chosen lifestyle as it is biological. Society still has many obstacles to overcome before homosexuality can be fully accepted as a mainstream way of life.

Prostitution

Victorian Era

Prostitution has also been a major entity in women’s sexuality from the Victorian era until now. In the Victorian era female prostitution was often times not a chosen profession. Young girls and women were forced into the business as a way to earn money or keep themselves off the streets. These women were looked down on by society as contributing to moral decline and often times referred to as Magdalene’s or whores. Although prostitution was thought of as a moral dilemma, it was also viewed as a necessary evil, because it was considered less harmful for a man to engage in sex without love.

Modern Era

Although illegal today, prostitution can be viewed as a woman’s right to control her sexuality. Many female prostitutes use the ‘it’s my body I can do what I want with it,’ argument to support their chosen profession. It is unclear if prostitution is more prevalent in today’s society than in Victorian times, but it can be said that today it is more often a choice that the woman consciously makes, as opposed to being forced into it.

Conclusion

Women’s sexuality has evolved from the Victorian era up until now into a much more liberated subject. Today one can find a plethora of reading materials for women to enhance their sexual needs, from books on the art of the female orgasm to learning how to enjoy masturbation. It is more encouraged and accepted in today’s society that women are allowed to enjoy the pleasures of sex outside the restraints of pregnancy, and even marriage. Sexuality has become less a taboo subject matter that is responsible for the moral decline of society and more an interest in achieving personal gratification and satisfaction.

Bibliography

1. Walton, Irene. Sexuality and Motherhood. England: Books for Midwives Press, 1994..


2. Giddens, Anthony. The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1992.


3. Haller Jr., John S., and Haller, Robin M. The Physician and Sexuality in Victorian America. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1974..


4. Choi, Precilla Y.L., and Nicolson, Paula. Female Sexuality: Psychology, Biology and Social Context. Hertfordshire: Harverster Wheatsheaf, 1994..


5. “Victorian Sexuality.” Sexuality and Modernity. 1996.http://www.isis.aust.com/stephan/writings/sexuality/vict.htm.


6. “The Sexual Revolution of the Sixties.” Sexuality and Modernity. 1996. http://www.isis.aust.com/stephan/writings/sexuality/revo.htm.


7. “Clitoridectomy: A Nineteenth Century answer to masturbation.” The First International Symposium on Circumcision. John Duffy Ph.D. 1,2 March 1989. http://www.nocirc.org/symposia/first/duffy.html.