SHA welcomes Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz, professor at the University of Ottawa, on September 13th & 14th, as she speaks on the topics of the history of clinical approaches to sexual arousal and desire concerns and optimal erotic intimacy. Register at https://sexualhealthalliance.com/september2020.
A Brief History of the Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction
by Eliza Sea
Spanning across history, from the Victorian era to present day, “The history of the treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction is inextricably bound up with the history of sexology, female sexuality, and conceptions and diagnoses of male and female sexual problems.” (Sexual Desire Disorder, Psychology Today.) The medical relationship with diagnosing sexual dysfunction, particularly with women, is complex.
The Victorian period (roughly between 1820 and 1914) brought with it strict moral conduct that was expected of everyday society and a view of sexual health that leaned into modesty, lack of bodily awareness, and the cultural belief that sex for men was a need that required attention but for women was not a need and desire but rather a requirement they submitted to to please their husbands. Women were culturally required during this time to be free from sexual desire and pleasure (https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era) and the belief that sex was a husband’s privilege and a wife’s responsibility. (Kleinplatz, History and Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction. 2018)
IMAGE CREDIT: MARIA FABRIZIO FOR NPR
Why does understanding Victorian cultural beliefs around sex impact the treatment of female sexual dysfunction in today’s context?
“Male sexuality has been perceived since the Victorian era as more driven, more ‘naturally’ in need of expression and release, and as the template for sexual desire... Female sexual desire has been perceived as less driven/compelling and therefore, for better or for worse, in the ‘normal,’ feminine woman, more responsive and therefore under better control. This means not only that female disorders have been diagnosed and treated in terms of deviation from whatever had been perceived at a given time as normal female sexuality, but also that normal female sexuality has been perceived as that which deviates from and obstructs male sexual needs.” https://www-annualreviews-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050817-084802
The idea that desire (or anything else, for that matter) is on a binary scale is no longer (arguable, never) acceptable in today’s progressive discussions around sexual health and pleasure however, it is important to understand the cultural and historical context. Treating sexuality and the expression of it from the lens of deviance and wrongdoing sets the stage for a plethora of problematic conditioning.
SHA welcomes Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz, professor at the University of Ottawa, on September 13th & 14th, as she speaks on the topics of the history of clinical approaches to sexual arousal and desire concerns and optimal erotic intimacy. Register at https://sexualhealthalliance.com/september2020.
Resources:
https://www-annualreviews-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050817-084802
https://www-annualreviews-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050817-084802
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