There are many social and cultural traditions
and practices that have a negative impact on the clitoris and female
sexuality.
Female Genital Cutting
The first tradition being Female Genital Cutting (FGC). In many countries of the world girls and women are subjected to a practice where by all or part of their external genitals are cut away. The amount of tissue removed varies from nicking the clitoral hood, to the removal of the entire clitoris, both labia minora, and portions of the labia majora. In some cases (10%) the vulva is then sewn closed, leaving only a tiny opening for urine and menses to pass through.
In some regions and communities over 90% of women have been cut. The number of countries where this occurs is increasing, as a result of families immigrating to other countries in search of better lives. This has resulted in the practice occurring in industrialized countries like the United States, Great Britain, France, etc. amongst some immigrant populations.
This cutting is usually done on young girls who have no idea what is being done to them, or what has been done to them, as a great deal of secrecy applies to the practice and ceremony. Some adult women may seek out the procedure if it was not done to them as a child, as the negative feelings toward their clitoris and external genital organs is very strong, and they feel compelled to experience what their peers have, be like them, and perhaps to gaining a sense of belonging. Women with intact genitals are often considered impure in these societies, and face social rejection.
These procedures may be done by unskilled people, usually women, who may cause additional injury to these girls and women, in addition to removing the intended organs. The cutting may take place in very unsanitary conditions, possibly resulting in severe infection and even death. The same cutting instrument may be used on several girls during the same ceremony, resulting in the spread of diseases like AIDS. Some girls are cut by skilled doctors and nursed, which decreases the incidence of complication, but still robs the girls of her external sexual organs.
This practice has been going on for thousands of years. A large percentage of the women who themselves have been cut, believe this is a normal, desirable, and necessary practice. Even if a mother chooses not to have her daughter cut, older female family members sometimes kidnap the child and have her cut without the mother's consent. These beliefs are that deeply imbedded into the minds of the women. They know or perceive their daughter, granddaughter, or niece will be unable to find a husband if they are not cut. As much as we may dislike this practice it is likely to be around for many many years to come.
FGC may have a major impact on female sexual pleasure and happiness, but it does not eliminate it. A woman's desire for sex is controlled by hormones, testosterone, so while her ability to enjoy and even engage in sex can be curtailed, she may still desire sex. If the vaginal opening is not surrounded by scar tissue she may enjoy vaginal intercourse and experience orgasm. If the vaginal opening is small and scarred intercourse can be torturous. Some women still have an area of sensitivity where their clitoris was located. While women who have had their clitoris removed may not be as orgasmic as women who do have a clitoris, they may enjoy sex just as much, if they feel they are being the proper wife by satisfying their husband's needs. If the husband is happy, the wife is happy. While we may see them as sexually impaired, it is important to realize that they may not see it that way. They see themselves as normal. This makes it all the harder to put an end to the practice. Not until formal education reaches these women will they know otherwise, but strangely, there are highly educated women who support the practice.
Clitoridectomy
The second tradition that negatively impacts the clitoris is clitoridectomy, the surgical removal of all or part of the clitoris. While still a form of FGM, it takes place in modern hospitals in the United States and elsewhere, even at your local hospital. Some girls are born with a pronounced clitoris, other infants are born with genitals that look both male and female, and some male infants have a small penis. It seems a majority of doctors see these infants as defective and in need of repair, lest they grow up and feel strange and defective. These infants are often referred to as intersexed.
Doctors feel that if the "problem" is not corrected early in a child's life, they will forever be emotionally scarred. These good intentioned, though misinformed, doctors cut off or trim the "large" clitoris, and turn hermaphrodites and boys with a small penis into girls. The reason they are made into girls is it is easier to cut off than it is to sew on. These procedures are not restricted to infants, even teenage girls have had their clitoris removed without their consent, even if the girl liked her clitoris.
Many of these doctors tell the parents that the surgery must be done, or convince the parents it is best for the child and that the child will live a normal sex life afterwards. These doctors, usually male, will tell the parents that their daughter will have a normal sex life afterwards even though there is no way of really telling what impact the surgery will have on the sensitivity of the girl's genitals. If a girl has never known what life was like with a clitoris, how will she know she is the same without one?
Sometimes it is the parents who seek out a surgical correction because they feel there is something wrong with their child's genitals, fearing someone will say something while changing the child's diaper.
If your daughter, granddaughter, or niece is born with a prominent clitoris, let her keep it and enjoy it. Tell her it is her clitoris, so when and if she becomes concerned about its size, you can reassure her that she is perfectly normal. If a girl has large breasts we do not require her to have them reduced, but if she has a large clitoris we do, an interesting double standard regarding two equally female sexual organs. A clitoris is still a clitoris even if it looks like a penis, if it is on a girl's body.
Denial of the Existence of the Clitoris
The third tradition that negatively impacts the clitoris is denial. Most societies deny girls and women the existence of their clitoris. We perform a mental clitoridectomy on them. While they physically have a clitoris they are not aware of it mentally.
We tell little girls they have a "vagina" when naming their external genitals. We never mention the words "vulva" or "clitoris". By not telling girls they have a clitoris and a vulva we deny their existence. By calling everything a "vagina" we do not make them aware of the existence of the other genital structures. If a girl discovers these structures she may feel strange and different, believing no one else has them. The vagina is a hidden organ that cannot be seen so many girls cannot grasp the concept of having one, they can only understand what they can see and touch. Girls should learn they have a vulva and clitoris long before they hear about their vagina.
As part of this denial process we expect girls and women to hide their genitals. We condition girls to be ashamed of their genitals and teach them to keep them hidden. While we probably are not aware of many of the things we do, we still do them. Why do we insist on little girls wearing underwear to bed under their pajamas and nightgowns? On a hot summer nights why do we put pajamas on them knowing they will be too hot and unable to sleep? Why do we put girls in short dresses yet scold them for allowing their underwear to be seen? Why do we insist on interrupting their explorations of their genitals, and insist on letting them know of our displeasure with this activity? We hide things we are ashamed of. By hiding our daughter's genitals from them and ourselves we are saying we are ashamed of them and their vulva. While we do not need to be nudist to raise sexually healthy daughters we do need to be careful not to impart the wrong messages on the them.
Related Web Article: Women and Their Clitoris: Personal Discovery, Signification, and Use (PDF)
