Do men perceive any difference between a cut and an uncut woman when it comes to sexuality? If so, how do men understand and interpret the impact of FGC? Will their personal sexual experience have an influence on their attitude to the practice? Is there a mismatch between sexual scripts and personal experience when it comes to FGC? During 2014, 50 Gambian men, Mandinka and Wolof, and eight Mandinka women were interviewed. The interviews had a qualitative and open structure, and the men were asked to compare and assess the effects that they thought FGC had on the women, and on the sexual act itself, as they experienced it. The interviews disclosed that men perceive a difference in the feelings and behaviour expressed by women who are cut and those who are uncut. Their sense of women’s feelings have an impact on their own sexual pleasure, and on their attitude to the practice.
The perspectives of Gambian men on the sexuality of cut and uncut women
Lien, I. L. (2017). The perspectives of Gambian men on the sexuality of cut and uncut women. Sexualities, 20(5-6), 521-534. doi:10.1177/1363460716675142
The aim of the study has been to investigate men’s perspective on the effect of female genital cutting (FGC) on both women and men’s sexual feelings, their sensitivity, well-being and attitudes.
The Project
This publication is a result of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in a gender and family perspective