Deserving Desire: Women's Stories of Sexual Evolution

Beth Montemurro

Published by Rutgers University Press 2015

Deserving Desire

Women's Stories of Sexual Evolution

Beth Montemurro

https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813570242

Overview
Contents

About this book

Women experience considerable changes in their bodies, lives, and identity between the ages of twenty and seventy, including marriage, motherhood, the dissolution of relationships, and menopause, all of which often impact sexuality. In Deserving Desire, Beth Montemurro takes a wide-ranging look at the evolution of women’s sexuality over time, with a specific focus on the development of sexual subjectivity—that is sexual confidence, agency, and a sense of entitlement to sexual desire.

Detailed stories of the ninety-five women in this study explore how they become more comfortable with their bodies, when most begin to enjoy sex, feel confident and positive about engaging in it, and how they become sexual subjects in control of their bodies. Deserving Desire explores the complex multi-stage process in which sexual subjectivity evolves over a woman’s lifetime. As girls, they learn about sex and how those around them—parents, peers, religion and media—regard sex. Physical and emotional transitions such as having a baby or ending a relationship further affect women’s sexual confidence and desire. Montemurro emphasizes that sexual subjectivity is about feeling in control of sexual decision making and acting purposefully and confidently.

Though adolescent sexuality has been a major focus of sociological research, few studies have examined, as Montemurro does here, the development of sexuality through women’s lives and the events that change the way women feel about themselves, their bodies, and their relationships.

Author / Editor information

BETH MONTEMURRO is an associate professor of sociology at Penn State University, Abington. She is the author of Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties (Rutgers University Press).

Reviews

"This is fascinating book. As a result of thoughtful interviewing, it is full of insights into the dynamics of women’s sexual lives and relationships. Montemurro uses her original, developmental model to bring some order to the material and to highlight enduring themes. This book is a should read for researchers and scholars interested in women’s sexuality in U.S. society. It is an important
application of the life course perspective to sexuality. It is the first book to address female sexual subjectivity throughout life in depth."
to discussions of a number of issues in these courses.

— Sex Roles

"Deserving Desire is a fascinating read, offering insight into women’s sexuality as they age from adolescence through adulthood and beyond."

— Elizabeth A. Armstrong, University of Michigan

"The sexual subjectivity of women has been a black box, glimpsed into, yet never fully opened up for examination. With Deserving Desire, Beth Montemurro joins a small group of excellent writers who help us understand what a complex subject sexuality is for women. The honest and in-depth interviews in this book encourage women to think about why sex has been considered shameful, and they illustrate how women can create good sexual lives on their own terms. Montemurro is to be congratulated for the quality and sensitivity of her work."

— Pepper Schwartz, author of The Normal Bar: The Surprising Secrets of Happy Couples

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Developing a Stance: Sowing the Seeds of Sexual Subjectivity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
3. Learning through Doing: Early Exploration and Experience Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
4. Validation, Affirmation, and Encouragement: Sexual Relationships of Consequence Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	76
5. Self-Discovery through Role and Relationship Changes: Divorce Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	102
6. Self-Discovery through Role and Relationship Changes: Motherhood Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	122
7. Self-Discovery through Embodied Changes: The Physical Experience of Motherhood Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
8. Self-Discovery through Embodied Changes: Aging and Menopause Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
9. Self-Acceptance: Staying Sexual Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	182
Appendix A: Demographic Characteristics of Research Participants Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
Appendix B: Methodology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
About the Author Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231

Language: English
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 256
Illustrations
- Other: 7 tables

eBook

Published: September 1, 2014
ISBN: 9780813570242