| Umesh Ramjattan Sociology 5 Professor M. Verbit Spring 2005
In societies around the world there is the notion that it is perfectly acceptable for men to be promiscuous and wrong for women to be. Men are rewarded for promiscuity while women are scorned upon for it. Promiscuous men are called “playboys” or thought of as being cool. Hugh Hefner who has had many sexual partners is idolized and his way of life is seen by some men as the perfect life. Promiscuous women are called “sluts” and are ridiculed and are not idolized or praised. In film and television there are always images of promiscuous men while the image of promiscuous women is so miniscule that it is barely known to exist.
People seem to believe that there is a biological difference between men and women in terms of sexual desires. It seems that when men cheat their hunger for sex is blamed. When women cheat the man they cheated on is looked at as inadequate or unfulfilling. This reasoning behind promiscuity almost makes it seem explainable and acceptable. Making male promiscuity seem explainable and acceptable has allowed it to continue for a very long time. A reason for male promiscuity that most researchers seem to come up with is that men are just biologically more inclined to be that way. Glenn Wilson states in his book, the great sex divide, that “there is of course one disorder of desire that affects men more strikingly than women – the boredom that arises from repetitive sex with the same partner.” Wilson also concludes that there is “the need for periodic recharging of libido by novel females that is seen in most mammals” and this is seen as just “another manifestation of the male's reproductively optimal promiscuity strategy.” Matt Gillum believes that “after a while, the same behavior, or maybe the same partner, doesn’t hold the same sparkle it did before.” Natural promiscuity creates a problem for men in life and especially during a marriage since it can lead to adultery.
A recent study that was conducted and released by a group of evolutionary psychologists has a lot to say about male promiscuity. It says that “men are programmed to want more sex than women.” The study found that men from around the world of all sexual orientations want more sexual partners than women. Respondents were asked how many sexual partners they desired in the next month, men gave an average answer of 1.87. For women, the number was .78. Over one quarter of every group of men–gay, straight and bisexual said they wanted more than one sexual partner within the next month. In contrast, only about 5% of straight and lesbian women, and 15.6% of bisexual women reported the same desire. Those that did the study say that the results explain why men are more interested in pornography than women, more likely to flirt than women and more likely to cheat on their spouses.
Historically promiscuity has been around and is established. Some sects, cults and religious orders have a place for promiscuous behavior. In ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome there are accounts of religious prostitution and promiscuity by men.
The prince of Bruni currently has several wives, Saddam Hussein had several wives and this is true for many other men in power around the world. African men and Hispanic men have been promiscuous for so long that it acceptable for them to be this way. These societies are patriarchal; men rule almost every aspect of society. Men determine what is acceptable and normal and this established lifestyle was established very long ago by men. An example of this would be Mohammed accommodating himself in the Qur’an (Sura 33:50); in this verse Mohammed makes an exception to the rule as to how many wives he may have. Once a prophet figure or someone revered does something like this it is bound to be copied by follower or worshippers. Hindu gods as depicted in the holy books are known to have cheated on their wives. Almost anything that gods do is seen as acceptable and if they are promiscuous then the religion and culture might accept it and even embrace it. People follow these lifestyles because that is the way things are, they do not ask why it is that way and they certainly don’t question established customs, because to do so is unacceptable. Women were seen as commodities and are still viewed this way in part of the world. If women are materialized and dehumanized this allowed promiscuity to happen rampantly.
Established ideology fosters established practices and it is rare that people go against what their culture, religion or society practices. Ideology or society’s expectations/acceptance that men be promiscuous constrains women. Another justification/excuse for male promiscuity is that it serves the purpose of procreation. Patriarchal societies allows for men to do as they want which of course encourage promiscuity by them. Men create the ideologies of societies and determine what is acceptable. The roots of male promiscuity have been growing for centuries, but women have been gaining more empowerment and are more sexual than ever. There has been more of a realization of the unfair double standard that has been in place for so long. Even if all women realize that there is a double standard it is still difficult to uproot the way things are. It is difficult to predict what will occur; it seems that male promiscuity will diminish slightly but it doesn’t seem likely that it will be uprooted completely.
Wilson, Glenn. The Great Sex Divide, pp. 92-95. Scott-Townsend (Washington D.C.) 1992.
Fielding, Nick. Accessed 5/24/05
Gillum, Matt. Accessed 5/24/05
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