Towards a Feminist Sex Therapy

Women’s Masturbation

“…Despite the pervasiveness of this behavior, psychological research has only just begun to investigate women’s motivations for, and emotional responses to, masturbation (Fahs & Frank, 2013). Furthermore, as many theorists have contended, masturbation has the potential to feel sexually empowering to women (Coleman, 2002; Dodson, 1996; Hite, 1976; Tiefer, 1996), yet the nature of these feelings of sexual empowerment has not been evaluated. Using a feminist sociocultural lens, the purpose of my investigation was to explore some of women’s potential motivations for, and feelings about, their masturbation, as well as to explicate how feelings of sexual empowerment may be related to women’s reasons for masturbating.…”

“…Indeed, this narrow conceptualization of female sexuality renders female masturbation utterly irrelevant, or even “excessive” (McClelland & Fine, 2008). However, feminists in psychology have begun to focus more attention on the importance of women’s sexual pleasure for their overall well-being, and, in the last 15 years or so, female masturbation has been increasingly viewed as an acceptable means for women to achieve autonomous sexual pleasure (Coleman, 2002; Fahs & Frank, 2013; Tiefer, 1996). Because this quest for pleasure does not rely on or answer to a partner, female masturbation can be conceptualized as resistance to traditional feminine norms (Friday, 1993; Rich, 1980; Tiefer, 1998) and may feel empowering to women (Tiefer, 1996).…”

“…For instance, many women report masturbating to relieve their own sexual tension or to provide themselves with relaxation (Dodson, 1996; Fahs & Frank, 2013; Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994), whereas others masturbate for pure physical pleasure (Fahs & Frank, 2013; Hite, 1976; Laumann et al, 1994; Thompson, 1990). Masturbation can also be empowering to women by providing a means for learning more about their bodies, desires, and sensations, because this type of sexual exploration among women is socially undervalued (Thompson, 1990; Tiefer, 1996). Women who masturbate may have increased sexual confidence and comfort with their bodies because they are able to gain more knowledge about their genital anatomy and sexual response (Dodson, 1996; Hite, 1976).…”

“…and (b) How does masturbation make women feel emotionally? Because women’s reasons for masturbating are likely related to their feelings of sexual empowerment (Tiefer, 1996), I then further examined this relationship by asking: (c) Which of women’s reasons for masturbating are most closely related to feelings of sexual empowerment? Finally, because sexual empowerment has been linked theoretically to sexual efficacy, entitlement, and self-esteem (Lamb & Peterson, 2011), I asked: (d) Do feelings of sexual efficacy, sexual entitlement, and/or genital self-image predict feelings of sexual empowerment related to masturbation?…”

The Body in Revolt: The Impact and Legacy of Second Wave Corporeal Embodiment

“…Ultimately, this valuing of clitoral orgasm also led to less pathologization of lesbian and bisexual sexual experiences (Gerhard, ). Removed from a phallic, heterosexist, and patriarchal framework, emphasis on learning to orgasm through masturbation also became a tenet of early feminist sex therapies, alongside sex education, body image work, and assertiveness training (Tiefer, ).…”