Sexual violence and victimization continues to be a significant problem worldwide. The patriarchal value system is helping the continuation of the problem by providing cultural justifications for abuse. This paper explores some patriarchal sexual attitudes leading to the physical health problems of married women in urban Iran. This is done by analyzing data from in-depth interviews among women who have experienced violence by an intimate partner.
There is a reinforcing relationship between patriarchal beliefs of male hegemony with female passivity, and patriarchal sexual attitudes. It is essential to take in to account the structural, cultural system, but also the role played by social actors in perpetuating such structures.
In this article, by exploring varieties of ways men impose patriarchal sexual desires and standards among Iranian married couples, I show that three patriarchal attitudes of (a) coercion, (b) hostility, and (c) body control are mechanisms through which married women experience physical problems.
Sexual violence such as imposing oral and anal sex, hostile sexual behavior, and imposing body control rituals such as heavy diets and managing the female partner’s body are causing physical pain and problems for married women. This article in exploratory research conducted in a small population, and the results can be reinforced by further research.
Published by Ladan Rahbari
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