Female and Male Sexual Dysfunctions -
A New Terminology

Differences in Female and Male Dysfunctions
In spite of the physiological similarities of male and female sexual dysfunctions, there are some important differences. In recent years, feminist researchers have offered a new view of women’s sexual problems. It sees these problems in the wider context of personal relationships and socio-cultural influences. These factors play a much greater role in female than in male sexual functioning. Indeed, in the new feminist view, the very words “function” and “dysfunction” are already suspect, since they seem to oversimplify the issues and to reduce sexual fulfillment to a question of mere technical efficiency. In order to broaden the narrow concept of “functioning”, these reseachers have therefore proposed a new classification of female sexual discontents and dissatisfactions:

As this classification shows, addressing the problems may involve more than the now customary sex therapy. It may also require individual and public education as well as a number of social reforms. However, for the limited purposes of this introductory course, the following sections restrict themselves to the physiological aspects of sexual dysfunctions.