The Libyan Bedouin have a harsh, demeaning viewpoint on premarital sex and those who participate in this act. There is strict control and reign over children, especially young girls, since the act of sex itself should be prohibited and being fertile create a threat from the elders’ perspective. In the case of child bearing out of wedlock, premarital sex carries more of a burden on the witnesses than it does on the participant. An example of this would be lowering the family’s social status, bringing disgrace to the family, specifically to the men who played a key role in her development as a woman. Additionally, their impure sexual state on their wedding day can also lead to disapproval of these marriages and the possibility of marriage in the future, due to the social stigma they created for themselves. Furthermore, those who accept a man’s hand in marriage view those who engage in this activity as “sluts”, which creates a bias toward these individuals in their society which creates social distinction. The Libyan Bedouin society value chastity as an important criterion for women before marriage, however they don’t express opposition toward sexual acts themselves. The defining line between approval and disapproval of these acts are the avoidance of a child.
Kanuri members of society can engage in sexual activity, where their view on the matter is more laid back than others. This can occur if and only if the man does not ejaculate, which avoids conception at all costs. This act is considered in their society to be rape, regardless if the man received consent from the girl. It is considered to be a crime since the girl’s reputation is diminished and now has a negative connotation, leading to a lack of interest by men that leads to ...
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...l activity by the age of sixteen to eighteen, occurring during the warm weathered months. The common thought of the Copper Inuit is to experiment with multiple partners to find the right person.
In addition to the Pawnee and the Copper Inuit, the Trobriands advocate for sexual exploration, allowing their children to engage in sexual acts to diminish their curiosity and be able to experience these sensual desires. Many of the sexual games and acts are encouraged by elders or by one another. Adults don 't show disapproval, but rather want their children to experience these through role play as “husband and wife,” where they imitate actions they have perceived and watched occur in their daily lives. The elders however want this to occur away from their homes due to the fact that most games lead to sexual intercourse or acts, resulting in unparticipating in all aspects.
It examines questions about cultural practices and why some/all people accept them and whom that might be benefitting or harming (ibid). In other words, it examines the behaviors, consequences, social factors, and above all the power structures in play. In Althaus’ article, she postulates that one reason that female circumcision is used is to increase the sexual pleasure of men (Althaus, 131). Here we can see the strong presence of a patriarchal society. Recall the purpose here is not to actually criticize this practice but rather seek the underlying interests or motivations of implementing it. The strong presence of a patriarchy indicates that women in a way are indeed used as means to serve the interests of men both sexually and also by providing a child. This brings about the winners (men) and the oppressed
Perhaps the first thing one must consider is why there are increasing numbers of poor women having children out of wedlock. One explanation of this concept that Edin and Kefalas use is that the poor women view raising their own child as a sense of accomplishment. For instance, they explain “in the social world inhabited by poor women, a baby born into such conditions represents an opportunity to prove one 's worth.” (11.3). Essentially, the women of a low social class view their children as an opportunity for success. It represents a sense of hope and fulfillment that the mother feels when she has a child. Also, interestingly enough, women of a poor class viewed “marriage as a luxury” (11.2). There are also reasons that involve a sense of fear in control. For instance, Edin and Kefalas explain that “poor women do not want to marry until they are set… a young mother often fears marriage will mean a loss of control” (13.3). Essentially, a poor women who has a child
The women are not required to wear certain garments to cover up and hide their female body parts; the girls are as free as the boys. Sexual play and behavior during their adolescent years are what women from this culture remember vividly. At first, younger children begin to play sexually with each other; by having the boys play with other boys and vice versa, the girls play with the girls. As they get a little older it switches to boys and girls playing sexually together. Often it consists of them poking and teasing genital contact. The boys are the main aggressive initiators of sexual play but, sex doesn’t occur until years later. Adults around see children playing like this, but do little to prevent it from happening. Although the parents do no approve it, ultimately; they don’t stop it because they too remember the years they experienced while growing up. It’s part of human nature and growing up. In their culture, the children know the difference between ‘good play’ and ‘bad play’. For example, Nisa was very hesitant at first playing sexually with the boys in the village. She saw how some girls would cry during sex, or even certain sexual behaviors of touching from boys kept her from playing with them. Nisa didn’t participate until later, meanwhile, she did watch. By watching she also learned. Women during their young years played with one another more than playing with the boys because it was known to be ‘bad play’,
Marriage and Sexuality Marriage is a ritually recognized union in our society and in some cases a legal contract between spouses. The ultimate definition of marriage defers according to culture but principally it is a universal institution that consists of a bilateral decent system. According to the Webster’s dictionary, sexuality is an organism’s preparedness for engaging in sexual activity in other words, a human’s readiness to begin having sex or exploring sex. The nature of marriage and sexuality has had a solid influence on different cultures round the world even from pre-historic times. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the nature, taboos, requirements and social impact of marriage and sexuality within the Dobe Ju/’hoansi and the
The Arabian Nights, translated by Husain Haddawy consist of entertaining tales within a story which acquired centauries to accumulate. Some of the tales regard women as possessions, therefore leaving women to use their sexual femininity to subdue men for means of survival. The story goes on to explain how men and women had forbidden sexual relations with concubines, slaves, and lovers. Some religions and cultures accept infidelity and fornication as part of their normal sexual practices, however, in The Arabian Nights sexual practices come with harsh penalties which generate havoc and disfigurement on humans, impacting their lives and relationships.
In the Trobriand society, marriage and courting are quite different from cultures in the Western world. According to Malinowski, the rituals consists of Trobriand children experimenting with their sexuality with their future spouse. At the age of infancy, the Trobrianders believe that “the relation of suckling to its mother…” is the first introduction to bodily contact and desire by nutrition” (Malinowski, 1985:245). Around seven years of age, “erotic games” are presented to the children in form of fondling and caressing (Malinowski 1985). And by the age of eleven to thirteen, the youth are already pursuing sexual partners engaging in casual affairs before they are ready to settle down. Marriage is among the most important aspects of a clan. As Weiner described, this [act of mating] must occur between two, distinguished clans. Thus creating a new relationship of great importance. However, Lepani discusses how “Trobriand women are free to exercise autonomy in choosing their sexual and marital partners” (2015:54). When a couple has decided for marriage, an announcement is given outside of the groom’s household. According to Malinowski, the ceremony will occur later on that day and the bride’s mother will bring cooked yams to seal the marriage between the new couple. In addition, the groom will present a longer skirt, in order to replace the shorter one on his bride to signify that her sexual freedom is
Practice of marriage is an institution which has existed for centuries. Mostly marriage is considered as one of the best form of relationship as kinship between two individuals. Marriage usually occurs when both parties make their relationship public, official and permanent. The Legal Information Institute in Cornell University Law School defines marriage as a legal union of a couple on the following conditions: 1) both parties should be legally able to marry each other 2) mutual consent 3) a lawful marriage contract (Gangoli et al., 2011: 26) (Marriage). This definition of marriage is ideal for practice but in reality sometimes this is not the case. Sometimes, the issue of consent is questionable because consent can be provided as a result of manipulation and coercion; thus, individuals can get married forcefully. Women are usually the victims of forced marriage, but not all marriage are forced and both men and women have equal potential to be victims of forced marriages. Forced marriage is defined as “a marriage that takes place without the free or valid consent of one or both of the partners and involves either physical or emotional duress (Gangoli et al., 2011: 26). Early marriage is related to forced marriage because minors are deemed incapable of giving informed consent” (Thomas, 2009: 2) . This definition of forced marriage includes words “free and valid consent” since consent can be obtained but it does not always mean it is obtained without threats, coercion or force. One of the most barbaric forms of marriage practice in some countries is marrying a girl to an object, for instance, marrying a girl to the Quran, a holy book. This paper aims to explore what are brides of the Quran and whether marrying a women/girl to the...
In the pre-Islamic Arabian society a family’s honor depended on the honor of its females which led to the belief that the group was vulnerable through the girls and women. Females were seen as a burden and many were the victims of infanticide because they were in need of protection from capture and were seen as a drain on the family’s meager resources. The most common form of ridding the family of an unwanted girl was to “bury her in the dust” which was done while the child was still alive. Once established, Islam condemned this practice and required that “…those who had killed their daughters in the time of the j¬¬¬ahiliyyah make expiation for their heinous act.” The Prophet said, “Whosoever has a daughter and does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not favor his son over her, [God] will enter him into paradise.” The words of Muhammad sharply contrast with the commonly accepted portrayal of women’s importance in Islamic society. The search for the truth behind the stereotypes and misinterpreted ideas is an eye-opening voyage into the lives of Muslim women.
According to Lawoyin and Kanthula (2010) unsafe sexual behaviors are the norm on South Africa. There is an awareness of certain risk factors such as unwanted pregnancy or sexuality transmitted diseases, but traditions contribute largely to unhealthy decisions made by both male and females. Although Americans perceive such behaviors negatively, understanding the context of cultures and traditions (Lawoyin and Kanthula, 2010) is detrimental before casting fault on the individual.
The traditional morality regarding sexual behavior has very little place in the hook up culture of contemporary society, which has nevertheless given birth to a new sort of sexual double standard, featuring the masculine “stud” and the feminine “slut” (Fjaer, Pedersen, Sandberg 2015, p.3). Essentially, this policing stratagem glorifies men’s sexual conquest, while shaming women for similar behavior.
In the society, women can be prone to different kinds of violence. The book “I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced” is a true representative of this. Written from the first person, it is a real expression of the experiences of Nujood Ali and her suffering. This is a personal autobiography of the little Yemen girl who was married off when she was only 10 years of age. In Yemen, young girls are forcefully married off to men who are way ahead of them in terms of age. It might be that many of them do not come out to challenge the decisions that are imposed on them by their families. However, Nujood had the courage to come out and speak on behalf of other young girls like her and also women who are forced into suffering and oppression. Young girls should not be forced into marriage and it is
The practice of female infanticide shows how desirable having a male child is that parents would take the lives of a female baby. The dowry system in India is the main cause of female infanticide in India. Gender inequalities in the rural part of northern India exhibit female infanticide occurs here the most despite laws to abolish these acts. Men hold a higher value in this society because a system they adapted many years ago. Men are seen as an asset or of value because at one point his future wife and her family will “pay” for him. Daughters are opposite and viewed as a burden to the family because she will have to marry one day and that will cost her parents. So women are not viewed equally here even as infants, they don’t even stand a chance. Officials have tried to make laws to assist in reducing female infanticide but people have continued to follow traditions of the dowry systems putting the population at risk as well
Muslim societies are characterized by higher than average fertility, higher than average mortality, and rapid rates of population growth. As recently as the late 1980s, an average of 34 per cent of all brides in Muslim countries were under twenty years of age, and women in Muslim countries bore an average of six children (Moghadam 2005 p.4). There is also ...
One should note that the author engages quite frequently with her students in lectures and although these students come from different backgrounds and embraces different cultures, the one thing that is common in their societies is the role of a female and the expectations of a ‘woman’. Interestingly Machera (2004) accounts for the way in which these students view the female genitalia and in most cases, they choose not to call the vagina by its ‘name’ as it is unheard of in their communities. This is undoubtedly the result of negative connotations that are associated with the female
Currently, Yemen is one of the poorest nations with one of the highest fertility rates and illiteracy rates.2 Child marriage plays a role in all of those problems for Yemen. About 80 percent of Yemen's population live in rural areas.3 Most child marriages occur in the rural areas compared to the urban areas. Girls in urban areas tend to get married at age 12 or 13, while girls in the rural areas may be married by the age of eight. 32 percent of girls in Yemen are married before the age of 18 and 11 percent are married before 15.4 Sometimes these child marriages in Yemen can also be consanguineous, which may be safer than marrying a stranger, but it still leads to other problems, such as biological diseases for their children.5 It is more common for younger girls(14 or less) to be in a consanguineous marriage than girls who are older.6 Although, once again, it may be more safe than marrying a complete stranger, it still has the severe consequences of having biological diseases for the couples' children, higher fertility rate, and higher child mortality rate.7 However, most cases of child marriage in Yemen usually involve a complete stranger who is much older than the girls and the girls usually do not even get consent in marrying the strange ma...