Forcing these people to do otherwise further complicates the problem. Western feminists write an overwhelming majority of the literature regarding female genital mutilation. In these writings, third-world women are referred to as a single, homogenous group, one that is part of a single, homogenous culture. This assumption is also false, and can be proved so by looking at the different reasons female genital mutilation is practiced today. Other cultures believe that we are born with some of the other gender s soul within our bodies.
Some cultures use female genital mutilation as a female s initiation rite into adulthood.
A few cultures actually believe that circumcision will enhance the female s fertility. Other cultures simply feel that the female genitalia are ugly and remove to enhance the female s beauty. Finally, various cultures believe that contact with the female clitoris will result in death. The point of this section is that female genital mutilation is a complex issue, one that involves a diverse group of people who are grounded in a diverse set of cultures. One simple, singular solution to this problem does not exist.