Most of us can agree that sexual health is an integral part of general wellness. And with the “self-care generation” now taking the reins, we can certainly expect that women will be demanding more when it comes to accessing sexual wellness. However, a pervasive gendered double-standard continues to stand in the path of some female founders who just want to get the word out about their products and services. Just this past year, the Metropolitan Transit Authority in NYC rejected ad campaigns from sex-toy and vibrator companies Dame and Unbound. Both have brought lawsuits against the MTA, claiming a ridiculous double standard. With ads for erectile dysfunction drugs splashed all over the walls of the subway system, it’s not hard to understand the outrage behind this battle cry.
The perniciousness of this problem continues to be revealed to us even through our recent research. In a large survey of American adults who were asked about their perceptions of others total number of sexual partners, women were viewed as more “promiscuous” as the number of perceived sexual partners increased. However, and not surprisingly, men were not. This negative judgement upon women on a very subclinical level, underscores the implicit biases that women continue to face out in the real world today. Results were published in the journal of Social Psychology.
Clearly, we are not yet comfortable with women being conceptualized as sexual beings. This then begs the questions, why do these pervasive and detrimental biases towards female sexually persist in the #MeToo era? Why do men have the right to “access sex” but not women? How do we help destigmatize a woman’s right to desire across all forms of media? As the Femtech industry is projected to reach $50 billion in valuation in the next 5 years, these are the questions that both innovators and female consumers will be demanding answers to. What do you think?
Your sexual wellness is nothing to be ashamed of. If you’re looking for a safe place to discuss your sexual health or dysfunction, contact us for a free phone consultation.