Apparently more women should 'lie back and think of England'
‘I’m a social scientist,’ Dr Catherine Hakim insists in her latest column for the Daily Mail, which warns that women are creating a ‘sexual drought’, which has a ‘profoundly negative effect on our society’.
You might think, she explains, that men themselves are responsible if they have affairs, break up their families or violently assault women. But you’d be wrong. The real problem — as ever — is the sexless, icy creature that is modern woman.
As the good doctor explains:
“In the past, wives may have felt obliged to offer more sexual entertainment than they were minded to, due to this dependence. Nowadays, though, they have a lot more autonomy over their sex lives and, if they do not have the desire — as many say they do not — then they’re less willing to lie back and think of England.”
In other words, women were formerly subordinate to their husbands in every way and, as such, were forced to adhere to their whims regardless of personal preference. Indeed, ‘lie back and think of England’ has often been used as a euphemism for enduring marital rape.
However, Hakim does acknowledge that the sexual economy of marriage has changed, regrettable though that may be. In a new book, she argues that women must ‘find new ways to trade our wants and needs for theirs.’
Her bartering suggestions? Exchange sex with a meal in a lovely restaurant or a new dress — because obviously a poor women can’t dress or feed herself — or demand more help with the washing up — because men are so congenitally incapable of performing an equal share of household labour that they must be rewarded with ‘sexual treats’.
Of course, these arguments are intrinsically offensive, but it’s also deeply disingenuous to suggest Hakim’s claims have anything to do with science.
She does offer some context-free statistics, suggesting that men typically have higher sex drives than women, and that a fifth of women between 45 and 59 have not had sex in over a year. She doesn’t clarify how many of these women are actually married or in long-term partnerships, nor does she indicate whether the current norm is any different from that of decades past.
But most unethically of all, she offers absolutely no evidence of a causal link between women’s sexual behaviour and men’s violent behaviour. That’s because there is no link. Sexual violence is not the product of ordinary men being deprived of sex, it’s the product of violent men aggressively demanding power and control over their victims.
Hakim concludes that ‘in our heart of hearts’ all women know that the sexual deficit will cause men to lash out. And as any scientist will tell you, what your ‘heart of hearts’ says is much more important than the evidence.
Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin is editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
2 Responses to “Daily Mail columnist says women who sex starve their husbands are causing sexual assault”
trevor
“But most unethically of all, she offers absolutely no evidence of a causal link between women’s sexual behaviour and men’s violent behaviour. ”
Followed by the equally evidence-free assertion:
“Sexual violence is … the product of violent men aggressively demanding power and control over their victims”
Hypocricy much?
Josephine Bacon
Men who sexually assault other women are just made that way, nothing to do with “sex-starving” or otherwise, is Donald Trump sexually deprived? With his money he was able to buy any amount of sex he wants yet he still gropes women. It is an insult to decent men to say that, but it is the mind-set of a certain group of brain-washed women who have grown up in a patriarchal society. “Academic” – the calibre of academics has reached rock-bottom.