The Belly of the Beast: Sex as Male Domination?

Abstract

Draws on early feminist writings from the 1970s to analyze male dominance over women & reasons for its persistence despite decades of cultural change. The equation of the phallus with power & thus, male power with sexuality, is challenged in view of the lived experience of male sexual domination. Ways that sexual relations actually evoke feelings of powerlessness, submission, & uncertainty in men are described, along with many men's desires to experience intimacy & more stereotypical "feminine" dimensions in their interpersonal relationship. It is argued that transforming the taken-for-granted link between male power & sexuality is a political task to be undertaken by both men & women; implications for feminist theory are also discussed. K. Hyatt Stewart