Donald Trump is America’s most hated or loved man, depending on what side of the spectrum you’re on, and his deeply rooted misogyny is apparent in all levels of American culture.
While awarding a Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Trump praised him for having lots of sex, but not without making a comment to Scalia's widowed wife — "you were very busy."
At first glance, this just seems like another one of Trump's poorly-timed, unnecessary remarks. In reality, this is an example of how the double standard of men and women, especially in the bedroom, is so skewed even as adults.
It’s time for the double standard surrounding sex to end — including the sexual hierarchy that favors males.
Ian Moulton, an ASU professor of English and cultural history, said that this double standard is due to hundreds of years of society seeing a women's place as in the home.
“What has happened over time, is that the work that men do is valued more than the work that women do,” Moulton said. “Men go out and do work that is seen as important or responsible or powerful and traditionally that's been rewarded with some sort of payment. Whereas women’s work has been seen as unpaid work: you take care of the kids.”
A woman’s place is not confined to a household anymore — and society has begun to accept that.
Research with the Florida Atlantic University found that, “Men are usually allowed more sexual leniency and are evaluated with more acceptance and tolerance relative to sexual behaviors and number of sexual partners when compared to women who engage in the same behaviors.”
Heterosexual sex is often seen strictly as something a man does to a woman. While it may be a consensual, two person act, the woman's role is diminished because the focus falls on the pleasure of men and less on that of women.
When sex is seen as something men are in control of, it can have harmful repercussions and even change the way men and women view sexual health. Research in connection with Pennsylvania State University found that women who view men with a traditional gendered role in society were less likely to use condoms.
“Findings suggest the importance of examining gender’s role in sexual behaviors and beliefs by assessing multiple gendered attitudes, rather than simply considering biological sex,” the research stated.
When men and women act how they are “supposed” to act, then gender roles begin to seep into the bedroom. Just because women need to be viewed as equals when discussing sexuality, it doesn’t mean a woman is always ready or comfortable to have sex — or that they will voice this discomfort.
The stigma around women's sexual activity and identity should not be diminished.
Men tend to assume that their needs align to the needs of their sexual partners, and whether it's a late night 'booty call' or at a party, it's still an assumption. Whether a woman has two, ten or twenty sexual partners, her character or quality of life should not be viewed as less than a man's.
Reach the columnist at psaso@asu.edu and follow @paytonsaso on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the authors’ and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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