Good Men Project: "Patriarchy and the Notion That Sex Is Worse Than Murder"

April 1, 2021

The Good Man Project, which has a long-standing relationship with CPS, recently published an illuminating article “Patriarchy and the Notion That Sex Is Worse Than Murder” on their site.

Referencing the recent tragic mass murders of Asian women in Atlanta, GA, sociologist Georgia Platts, demonstrates the associations between gender equality and sex-positivity using her own research as well as engaging with the cultural histories and concepts of domination and Partnership Systems prevalent in Riane Eisler’s work:

Riane Eisler has studied domination versus partnership cultures for years, and her bestselling book The Chalice and the Blade along with Sacred Pleasure make a persuasive argument for understanding the alignment between gender inequality and sex negativity. She points out that in early egalitarian societies women’s seemingly magical ability to bring life forth from their bodies was highly valued, as was sex, itself, as the initiator of life. But as patriarchy emerged male dominance was likely buttressed by removing the magic and goodness of all that. Under the new system of patriarchy birth often came to be seen as polluting and requiring women to cleanse themselves. Sex became evil, dirty, your mind is in the gutter and women were reduced to sex which is, of course, evil.

Throughout this work, Platts makes a strong case for eradicating the cultural demonization of pleasure and consensual sexual expression within the larger journey of eradication violence against women.