Yet today, the rationale for such a fear has effectively been eroded with the ready availability of birth control devices and failing that, abortion. However, we are still left with a society which sets distinctly different sexual boundaries for males and females. Yes, we are witnesses in a society that sets blatantly different standards for females and males. As remnants of traditional thoughts unite with the desire to maintain the status quo, the distinction in roles has fueled the effort to inhibit female sexuality while granting contined male sexual freedom. The status quo has been shown to be most beneficial to men as they continue to dominate the political and economic arenas.
Laws affecting the sexuality of women rest in the hands of male legislators.
Often, in the household, women serve as unpaid domestic labor, while in the work place the bulk of the economic power remains in the hands of men. In our patriarchal society, a female's sexuality is shaped by males. It would seem then, in our society, there exists a need within the social structure for continued suppression of female sexuality in order to maintain the current state, and continued male power and dominance. We must cross generational, cultural, and racial boundaries in re-educating ourselves. We must all join hands in an effort to understand the forces that define our lives.