Female sexual offenders have recently become the subject of increased medical, legal and public attention. However, the medical and legal systems insist that female sex crimes are rare regardless of the fact that when sexual victimization experiences are surveyed, the incidence of female perpetrated sex crimes is often higher than expected. Additionally, lay discourses concerning female sexual perpetration remain charged with expressions of disbelief and the vast majority of attention on sexual crimes therefore remains focused on male offenders. As a result, female sexual offenders are understood and treated differently to their male counterparts in the media and medico-legal contexts. In light of the continued denial of female sexual perpetration, this research explored how such beliefs around female sexuality shape the self-knowledge of female sexual offenders. By doing so, this investigation aimed to illuminate how disciplinary power acts to produce self-knowledge that, in turn, leads to the discursive coordinates by which female sexual offenders come to define themselves. This was achieved by interviewing female sexual perpetrators and thereafter drawing on critical discourse analysis in order to interpret the transcriptions of these interviews. The results demonstrated that the participants’ subjective experiences as agents and non-agents in the perpetration of sex crimes relied on social constructions of men, women, motherhood, sexuality and religion. All of the offenders constructed themselves as characteristically female- maternal, passive, vulnerable, victimised and innately virtuous. Their responses drew discernibly on rationalising discourse, gendered discourse, inversions of their femaleness, perceptions of the legal and correctional systems, institutionalised discourse, discourse on rehabilitation and expressions of morality and docility. Most of these discursive patterns, as both instruments and effects of power, simultaneously replicate and reproduce broader social discursive practices that imply that women are harmless, nurturing and incapable of female sexual perpetration. The availability of medical, academic and legal discourse on gender and sexuality allowed the participants to draw on victim discourse, histories of abuse and claims of psychological ailments to justify their crimes. These rationalisations also worked in conjunction with gendered discursive strategies that implied that men are aggressive perpetrators whilst women are harmless victims. As such, the perceived responsibility for the participants’ crimes was most often displaced onto their male accomplices. In this way, the participants upheld their subjective innocence as well as assisted in the maintenance of the construction of the female sexual perpetrator as an unfathomable and impossible construct. This was further emphasised by the fact that not a single participant believed she was guilty of a crime. Such a belief is in line with gendered constructions of criminality as a predominantly male activity. As such, the participants’ reproductions of traditional sexual scripts foreclosed alternative understandings of female sexual perpetration. While dominant patriarchal structures utilise discourse as a means to transmit, produce and reinforce power, this study drew on discourse as a means to resist traditional gendered understandings of sexual offending and to create new configurations of knowledge power by offering counter-knowledge of sex crimes. In doing so, academics, policy makers and the general public have access to a different and novel understanding of female sexuality in light of sexual offending. This has practical implications for the acknowledgement and awareness of female sexual perpetration as well as for future preventative efforts.

In an attempt better to understand the appeal of the Gothic novel during its initial appearance in eighteenth-century England, particularly that of the 'female Gothic'--a sub-genre recently declared by feminist critics such as Claire Kahane, Ellen Moers, and Tania Modleski--this essay considers three novels by Ann Radcliffe, possibly the best-known female writer of her time: The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), The Romance of the Forest (1791), and The Italian (1797). Beginning with an examination of Radcliffe's unique use of landscapes and her adoption of Burke's Sublime, I postulate a symbology and subtext which address the generally unacknowledged topics of female sexuality and female creativity. The representation of feminine desire, as well as the continued theme of the hidden woman artist, I argue, together comprise the 'hidden discourse' integral to the 'female Gothic' pioneered by Radcliffe. Bearing in mind the emergence in the later eighteenth-century of a large female audience for Radcliffe's novels, l analyse the different physical prospects and personalities associated with heroine and villain as politically polarized 'visions' of reality. The inevitable moral and aesthetic conflict of these visions culminates in the heroine's ultimate triumph over the villain and the patriarchal society he represents. Through this analysis of her fiction's hidden discourse, Radcliffe's contribution to the Gothic genre can be seen as politically subversive, her novels concealing a defiance of her male-dominated culture as well as containing an affirmation of identity for her female readers. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Thesis (MPhil (Visual Arts))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation aims to investigate, from a feminist perspective, representations of female sexuality in fairy tale text and illustrations. I conduct my analysis in the form of a case study of the Brothers Grimm’s The Handless Maiden as it appeared in the 1915 English edition of their Children and Household Tales. My investigation is prompted by the belief that fairy tales play an important role in the social construction of gender relations, a process known as ‘interpellation’ within contemporary feminist discourse. This due to the fact that fairy tales are some of the earliest narratives young children get exposed to and thus help shape their understanding of the world around them and their role as social beings in it. I start my investigation by looking exclusively at fairy tale text – The Handless Maiden by the Brothers Grimm - and how language gets used to construct a specific version of female sexuality; that which is silenced and without agency, thus repressive and problematic from a feminist perspective. Here I firmly situate my argument within a theoretical framework provided by contemporary feminist discourse with reference to the arguments of theorists Judith Butler and Luce Irigaray and their emphasis on the key role of language within processes of ‘interpellation’. I then move on to a discussion of fairy tale illustrations and the important role thereof to underscore, by making visible, the particular version of female sexuality implicit in the accompanying text. The next part of my investigation focuses on images of women in the photo-collages of the early 20th century German artist Hannah Höch. I posit these as exemplary of imagery with the potential to destabilize patriarchal notions of female sexuality. By means of this investigation I hope to provide a discursive framework in which to situate my own set of illustrations of the Grimm’s Handless Maiden, which I completed as part of the practical component of my submission for the current degree. The final part of my discussion focuses on my own illustrations of the Grimm’s Handless Maiden and here I will argue for my illustrations as a means to, not only destabilize notions of female sexuality implicit in the accompanying fairy tale text, but also a means to suggest other, alternative, readings of the nature of the female sexual subject position implicit in the text. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek die feministiese tentoonstelling van vroulike seksualiteit in sprokies se illustrasie en teks. My ondersoek analiseer die Broers Grimm se The Handless Maiden soos dit verskyn het in die 1915 Engelse uitgawegenaamd, Children and Household Tales. Hierdie ondersoek word gelei deur die aan-name dat sprokies‘n belangrike rol speel in die sosiale konstruksie van geslag verwantskappe, ‘n proses bekend as “interpellasie” in die diskoers van kontemporêre feminisme. Sprokies is van die vroegste narratiewe waaraan kinders blootgestel word en beïnvloed dus hul begrip van die wêreld, ondermeer hul sosiale rol daarin. My ondersoek begin met die fokus op The Handless Maiden se teksen hoe taal gekonstrueer word rondom ‘n spesifieke weergawe van vroulike seksualiteit. Vanuit ‘n feministiese oogpunt is hierdie seksualiteit problematies, aangesien dit as swygend en sonder agentskap aanskou word. Ek struktureer my ondersoek rondom die argumente van Judith Butler and Luce Irigaray, met klem op die rol van taal in die proses van “interpellasie”. Daarna skuif my fokusna ‘n diskoers omtrent sprokies se illustrasies en die belangrike rol van onderliggende vroulike sexualiteit wat teenwoordig is in die teks sowel as die illustrasies. My ondersoek lei dan na die vroulike figure in die foto-plakskildery van die vroeg 20ste eeuse Duitse kunstenaar, Hannah Höch. My ondersoek van vroulike figure staan dan as voorbeelde van die moontlikheid om patriargale neiging van vroulike seksualiteit te destabiliseer. Ek beoog dus om ‘n diskoers raamwerk te stig waarin ek my eie illustrasies van Grimm se Handless Maiden, wat ek as ‘n deel van my praktiese komponenet voltooi het vir my huidige tesis. Die finale deel van my tesis ondersoek my eie illustrasies van Grimm se Handless Maiden. Hier plaas ek my werk in die destabieliseering raamwerk van vroulike seksualiteit wat vanselfsprekend is in die sprokie en terselfde tyd alternatiewe lesings van die vroulike seksualiteits onderwerp bied.

The aim of our investigation is to explore a sexual life, experience and attitudes of women who are divided into for groups, according to their ability to reach orgasm during partnered sexual activities. We try to identify possible differences between these groups in diverse sexual areas. We do not formulate any hypothesis, our research has an exploratory character. We used data from 905 women, who participated in a nationwide research, that aims to investigate changes in Czech population sexual behavior. The research is in progress since 1993 and it repeats every five years. Our sample originates from a data collection in 2008. The data collection (using anonymous questionnaire) was conducted by a specialized agency DEMA a.s. The data were processed using SPSS 16.0. Our results are following: The orgastic ability decreases with age. Widows, pensioners, and Roman Catholics rarely experience orgasm. Highly orgasmic women are of higher education. These women engaged into partnered sexual activities (such as necking, petting, sexual intercourse) earlier than the less orgasmic women did. The highly orgasmic women more masturbate. They also reported a higher number of sexual partners during their life, and they engage into a casual sex and diverse sexual practices more often. Furthermore, the highly...

Η συμμετοχή της γενετικής, έναντι της περιβαλλοντικής επίδρασης στη συμπεριφορά αποτελεί θεμελιώδες ερώτημα για τις νευροεπιστήμες και αποτελεί πεδίο έντονου ερευνητικού ενδιαφέροντος. Η σεξουαλικότητα είναι μια σύνθετη αλληλεπίδραση πολλαπλών παραγόντων, συμπεριλαμβανομένων ανατομικών, φυσιολογικών, ψυχολογικών, αναπτυξιακών, πολιτιστικών και σχεσιακών παραγόντων. Παρά την υψηλή συχνότητα εμφάνισης της γυναικείας σεξουαλικής δυσλειτουργίας, λιγότερη έμφαση έχει δοθεί στη μελέτη της από την επιστημονική κοινότητα. Το βιολογικό και ψυχολογικό υπόβαθρό της παραμένει ένα υποσχόμενο πεδίο έρευνας καθώς οι διαθέσιμες θεραπείες είναι πολύ λιγότερες συγκριτικά με την ανδρική σεξουαλική δυσλειτουργία. Η σεξουαλική λειτουργία των γυναικών έχει μελετηθεί κατά καιρούς στο σύνδρομο των πολυκυστικών ωοθηκών, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη ερωτηματολόγια σεξουαλικής δραστηριότητας και επίπεδα φυλετικών ορμονών αλλά όχι τους γενετικούς πολυμορφισμούς που μπορεί να εμπλέκονται και να δημιουργούν συγκεκριμένο βιολογικό υπόβαθρο. Η αλληλεπίδραση ορμονών, νευροδιαβιβαστών και περιβαλλοντικών παραγόντων είναι ευρέως αποδεκτή στη διαμόρφωση του υποστρώματος της γυναικείας σεξουαλικότητας αλλά οι τρόποι παραμένουν ακόμα ασαφείς. Για το λόγο αυτό, ο σκοπός της παρούσας μελέτης ήταν η συσχέτιση των πολυμορφισμών του ανδρογονικού υποδοχέα και του υποδοχέα της βαζοπρεσίνης με τη γυναικεία σεξουαλικότητα στις γυναίκες με σύνδρομο πολυκυστικών ωοθηκών. Η επίδραση των ανδρογόνων στη γυναικεία σεξουαλικότητα αποτελεί πεδίο έντονου ερευνητικού ενδιαφέροντος καθώς οι μηχανισμοί αλληλεπίδρασης είναι ιδιαίτερα πολύπλοκοι. Τα ανδρογόνα ασκούν τη δράση τους μέσω πρόσδεσης και ενεργοποίησης των ανδρογονικών υποδοχέων. Το γονίδιο του υποδοχέα των ανδρογόνων αποτελείται από δύο μοτίβα πολυμορφικών επαναλήψεων CAG & GGN που κωδικοποιούν ποικίλου μήκους πολυγλουταμινικών και πολυγλυκινικών περιοχών αντίστοιχα. Έχει επίσης φανεί ότι το αυξημένο μήκος της CAG επαναληπτικής αλληλουχίας πιθανόν να σχετίζεται με μειωμένη δραστικότητα του AR και ως εκ τούτου και με διαταραχές που σχετίζονται με μειωμένη δράση ανδρογόνων Διάφορα νευροπεπτίδια όπως η βαζοπρεσίνη, η αδενοκορτικοτροπίνη, η ωκυτοκίνη κ.α. επιδρούν στην ενήλικο σεξουαλική συμπεριφορά διαφόρων οργανισμών. Η βαζοπρεσίνη και ο υποδοχέας της αποτέλεσαν αντικείμενο μελέτης για την ερμηνεία της ανθρώπινης κοινωνικής και σεξουαλικής συμπεριφοράς. Οι πολυμορφισμοι του AVPR έχουν επίσης σχετιστεί με αλτρουισμό, με μονογαμία και ανάπτυξη σχέσεων δεσμού, γνώση μουσικής και χορού που αντανακλούν αρχέγονες κοινωνικές αλληλεπιδράσεις όπως ιεροτελεστικές κινήσεις και επικοινωνία μέσω ήχων. Το γονίδιο του υποδοχέα της βαζοπρεσίνης διαθέτει τέσσερα μικροδορυφορικά μοτίβα. Ακολουθώντας τις μελέτες στον αρουραίο του αγρού (vole), η προσοχή έχει κυρίως επικεντρωθεί στις μικροδορυφoρικές επαναλήψεις στην περιοχή του υποκινητή. Πρόκειται για τις RS1 {(GATA)14} και RS3 {(CT)4-TT-(CT)8-(GT)24}, που είναι εξαιρετικά πολυμορφικές. Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η διερεύνηση της συσχέτισης της πολυμορφικής CAG περιοχής του ανδρογονικού υποδοχέα και του RS1 πολυμορφισμού του υποδοχέα της βαζοπρεσίνης με την γυναικεία σεξουαλική συμπεριφορά στο σύνδρομο των πολυκυστικών ωοθηκών. Για το λόγο αυτό η παρούσα μελέτη συμπεριέλαβε 40 γυναίκες με σύνδρομο πολυκυστικών ωοθηκών και 94 υγιείς γυναίκες, στις οποίες διενεργήθηκαν ορμονικοί προσδιορισμοί, ψυχομετρικά τεστ για αξιολόγηση της σεξουαλικής λειτουργίας τους και διερεύνηση της συσχέτισης με τα γονοτυπικά τους χαρακτηριστικά (αριθμός επαναλήψεων των πολυμορφικών μοτίβων στα αλληλόμορφά τους). Τα αποτελέσματα της παρούσας εργασίας έδειξαν ότι στην κατηγορία των γυναικών με PCOS η ενεργότητα του υποδοχέα συσχετίστηκε με μειωμένα επίπεδα oιστρογόνων και με αυξημένη ικανοποίηση, γεγονός που υποδηλώνει ότι σε καθεστώς περίσσειας ανδρογονικού ερεθίσματος η γυναικεία σεξουαλικότητα επάγεται. Επίσης στην ίδια ομάδα γυναικών φάνηκε συσχέτιση μεταξύ των υψηλών επιπέδων FSH και των υψηλών αριθμών επαναλήψεων του RS1 πολυμορφισμού, υποδεικνύοντας έναν κεντρικό ρόλο του AVPR στη ρύθμιση της ωοθυλακιορρηξίας των γυναικών με σύνδρομο πολυκυστικών ωοθηκών. / The contribution of genetic versus environmental influence in behavioral analysis is a fundamental question for neuroscience and it is also an area of strong research interest, Sexuality is distinguished by a complex interaction between anatomic, physiologic, psychological, developmental, relational and cultural factors. Despite the high frequency of sexuality disorders in women, scientists have not placed emphasis on this. The biological and psychological background of women’s sexuality disorder still remains a promising field of research, since the available therapies are fewer than those that are used in male sexual dysfunction. Female sexuality has been studied frequently in women with PCOS and has been based on questionnaires of female’s sexual functionality and serum levels of sex steroid hormones. These studies didn’t take account of the genetic polymorphisms which can be involved in a specific biological background. The interaction of hormones, neurotransmitters and environmental factors is widely accepted in the composition of female’s sexual function but the ways that this interaction happens are still unclear. Thus, the aim of our study was to consider the possible association between the genetic polymorphism of androgen receptor gene and vasopressin receptor gene and female sexuality in women with PCOS. The influence of androgens in female sexuality is a field of intense interest in the scientific community, but the ways this interaction occurs are very complicated. Androgens bind and activate androgen receptors.The androgen receptor gene consists of eight exons and encodes a protein with 919 amino acid residues. Exon 1 of the gene consists of two polymorphic repeat (CAG and GGN) motifs, encoding variable lengths of polyglutamine and polyglycine stretches, respectively. Also, it has been proposed that that the increased length of the CAG repeat should associate with decreased AR activity and hence the disorders related to the reduced androgen actions. Many neuropeptides such as vasopressin, oxytocin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) etc, affect sexual behavior in many species. Vasopressin and it’s receptor has been well studied in order to interpret human social and sexual behavior. The genetic polymorphisms of the vasopressin receptor gene has been also associated with altruism, monogamy, pair bonding, musical and dancing ability. The latter reflects primitive social interactions such as ritual movements and vocalization. Vasopressin receptor gene is distinguished by three microsatellites in the 5’ flanking region and a fourth in the single intron. Following the vole studies, attention has been primarily focused on two microsatellites in the promoter region, RS1 {{GATA)14} and RS3 {(CT)4-TT-(CT)8-(GT)24}, which are highly polymorphic. The aim of our study is to investigate the association between the polymorphic CAG region of androgen receptor gene and RS1 polymorphism of vasopressin receptor gene with sexual behavior in women with PCOS. Thus, our study included 40 women with PCOS and 94 healthy women. We performed hormonal analysis, psychometric tests to evaluate their sexual functionality and looked into the association with their genetic characteristics (the number of repeats of polymorphic motifs in their alleles). Our results showed that androgen receptor’s activity is associated with low estrogen levels and high sexual satisfaction in women with PCOS. This indicates that in a state of androgen excess, female sexuality is induced. In the same group of women, we noted an association between high levels of FSH and a high number of repeats of RS1 polymorphism. This suggests a central role of vasopressin receptor in the regulation of ovulation in women with PCOS.

No description available.

The proposed thesis is comprised of eleven papers connected by the employment of the evolutionary psychological approach in research on various aspects of human sexuality. The aim of the first monothematic part is to demonstrate the evolutionary-psychological approach to one recent phenomenon in female sexuality - the use of oral contraceptives (OC). OC use has been shown to suppress psychological mechanisms that are considered to be adaptive in the fertile period of the natural menstrual cycle. In particular, OC users' ratings of male stimuli that provide the cues of genetic quality and compatibility are lower in comparison with normally cycling women. Moreover, the increase in sexual desire and in the prevalence of proceptive behaviour observed during mid-cycle in normally cycling women is diminished. However, the impact of this phenomenon on mate-choice and relationship dynamics in an ecological context has not been studied. In the first study, we have analyzed the data of Czech women obtained via representative sampling within the Czech National Survey of Sexual Behavior. Results indicated that normally cycling women had a significantly higher number of one-night stands during the last year in comparison to OC users even when living in a long-term relationship. OC usage was also shown to have...

The thesis focuses on female orgasm and its relation to autoerotic activities and dyadic sexual behavior. The first theoretical part focuses on theories describing the function of female orgasms and factors influencing its occurrence. The second part consists of four articles published in peer-reviewed journals. The first article is a review, focusing on the development of expert opinions over time, with specific regard to female orgasms and the division between clitoral and vaginal orgasm. The second article discusses the role of general relationship and sexual satisfaction with respect to the female orgasm. The third article examined the association between first autoerotic experiences and the occurrence of vaginal orgasm. Finally, the fourth article concerned the frequency of dyadic sexual activity and its relation to vaginal orgasm. The findings within each article indicate that autoerotic and dyadic sexual activities together with general relationship and sexual satisfaction have a positive influence on the occurrence of female orgasms.

Instagram, as one of today’s largest social media platforms, plays a significant part in the maintaining and reproducing of existing stereotypes and role expectations for women. The purpose of the thesis is to study how Instagram interprets violations against its guidelines, and whether decisions to remove certain pictures from the platform are in line with terms of use, or part of human subjectivity. The noticeable pattern among the removed pictures is that they are often norm-breaking. The thesis discusses communication within Instagram to reveal how and why some pictures are removed while others are not, which limits women’s possibilities to express themselves in non-conventional settings. The study applies semiotics to analyse 12 pictures that were banned from the platform without directly violating its guidelines. Role theory and norms are used to supplement semiotics and shed light on the underlying societal structures of female disadvantage. Two major conclusions are presented: 1) Instagram has unclearly communicated its guidelines to women’s disadvantage, and 2) Instagram has therefore been subjective in the decisions to have the pictures removed from the platform, also to women’s disadvantage. Further, the discussion focuses on how Instagram handles issues related to (1) female sexuality, (2) women stereotyping, and (3) female self-representation.

The proposed thesis is comprised of eleven papers connected by the employment of the evolutionary psychological approach in research on various aspects of human sexuality. The aim of the first monothematic part is to demonstrate the evolutionary-psychological approach to one recent phenomenon in female sexuality - the use of oral contraceptives (OC). OC use has been shown to suppress psychological mechanisms that are considered to be adaptive in the fertile period of the natural menstrual cycle. In particular, OC users' ratings of male stimuli that provide the cues of genetic quality and compatibility are lower in comparison with normally cycling women. Moreover, the increase in sexual desire and in the prevalence of proceptive behaviour observed during mid-cycle in normally cycling women is diminished. However, the impact of this phenomenon on mate-choice and relationship dynamics in an ecological context has not been studied. In the first study, we have analyzed the data of Czech women obtained via representative sampling within the Czech National Survey of Sexual Behavior. Results indicated that normally cycling women had a significantly higher number of one-night stands during the last year in comparison to OC users even when living in a long-term relationship. OC usage was also shown to have...