Introduction
In the ideal, all members of the society should have equal rights to express their sexuality without limitations from either gender. However, this has not always been the case for the womenfolk. Incidences of male dominance and excessive control date back to the beginning of civilization as men internalized the perception of being the head and master in their households (Pleck, 2014). For instance, during the Greek civilization, the place of women was restricted to being domestic managers in their households who report to their husbands and the general male population. Despite progress in female sexual empowerment, society is still wired to accept male dominance over womenfolk (Bailey, 2013). There is a need to empower female gender sexuality as part of the modern agenda of promoting women’s rights.
Main body
Female sexual freedom has been a struggle spanning centuries and decades as women become more empowered and accepted as independent thinking beings. Women have had to put up with excessive male controls that are institutionalized in society. For instance, all the mainstream religious and social books define women as being wooed by men and must take orders from the male gender (Pleck, 2014). Basically, the Quran, Bible, and other ancient writings indicate that a woman is subject to the control of the male gender in all aspects. This means that women’s sexuality to some extent is part of this control (Bergner, 2013).
Antagonists of male dominance argue that controlling women’s sexuality is associated with degradation, manipulation, and reaffirming the permanent imbalance between control and principles of environmental pressure against the womenfolk (Bailey, 2013). According to Pleck (2014), there is a need to completely illuminate women’s sexuality to minimize instances of sexual abuse attributed to male dominance. For instance, many women are influenced by circumstances beyond their control to engage in demoralizing erotic acts aimed at satisfying the ego of men simply because of the institutionalized male dominance (Badham, 2018).
This position is supported by the updated statistics indicating that most sexually abused women are in abusive relationships where they are not allowed to express themselves freely (Bailey, 2013). The data further reveals that instances of sexual abuse against the female gender sometimes go unreported for the fear of male overreaction or victimization by the patriarchal society (Allanana 2013).
A woman who is empowered to explore her sexuality is able to internalize free will to improve on self-consciousness and curve a unique and beneficial character of confidence. This means that women should be free beings in modern society with similar sexuality space as males to experience, discover, and willingly participate in exploring their nature (Pleck, 2014). In the ideal, men and women should be equal partners in exploring sexuality to ensure that such association is beneficial to both parties.
Conclusion
The body of any woman is her sole right that should be controlled by self-consciousness and free will. Therefore, there is a need to further influence society to respect and protect female sexuality through the production of educative materials on women’s free will (Bailey, 2013). This might be beneficial to the male gender since it will improve the space for women’s rights. Through this approach, stakeholders will guarantee the protection of women’s rights while internalizing affirmative actions aimed at building women’s confidence in their own sexuality.
References
Allanana, M. G. (2013). Patriarchy and gender inequality in Nigeria: The way forward. European Scientific Journal, 9(17), 115-144.
Badham, V. (2018). That’s patriarchy: How female sexual liberation led to male sexual entitlement. The Guardian. Web.
Bailey, K. (2013). Human paleopsychology: Applications to aggression and patholoqical processes. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Bergner, D. (2013). What do women want?: Adventures in the science of female desire. London, UK: Canongate Books.
Pleck, E. (2014). Seeking female sexual emancipation and the writing of women’s history. Social Science History, 38(1-2), 105-112.