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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 April 2000 Issue No. 478 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 April 2000 Issue No. 478
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A question of control
By Mariz TadrosFor a long time, women were seen as the upholders and perpetrators of female genital mutilation. After all, women are those who make sure that their daughters are circumcised by the mid-wife or doctor. But a recent study suggests that, in order to understand why the practice has been preserved, we have to look at men as well as women. Last week, "Investigating Masculinities and Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt," a research paper prepared by Nadia Wassef and Abdallah Mansour, was presented to a coalition of NGOs at Caritas-Egypt.
The research was carried out under the auspices of the National NGO Centre for Population and Development (NCPD) and upon the recommendation of the FGM Taskforce. The study suggests that female genital mutilation is "a manifestation of men's perceptions of themselves, their masculinity, their insecurities, and their attitudes towards women." Not the most reassuring picture -- but then again there is nothing comforting about the prevalence of the practice itself -- estimated at over 90 per cent.
The research involved one-on-one in-depth interviews with 50 men of different socio-economic background, age and marital status. While many participants in the workshop protested that a sample of 50 men could hardly be considered representative of the entire Egyptian male population, Mansour explained that the findings of the study are supposed to be indicative of certain dynamics, and provide some insight into men's sense of masculinity and how it impacts on their relations with women.
Not that it was easy, however; many men refused to be interviewed, even on an anonymous basis, while those who accepted had great difficulty in talking about masculinity and sexuality. One of the main questions put forward in the study -- what makes a man manly? -- opened a Pandora's box of insecurities and fears. The study highlighted men's feeling that their masculinity had to be proven, and their perception that it could be taken away from them. Strength topped the list as the ultimate indicator of manliness and was defined in terms of control and domination, as well as financial ability. There were some variations, however, indicated Mansour: "Older men spoke more about social characteristics of masculinity, such as social roles and character, while younger men spoke about masculinity from a strictly physical point of view -- emphasising the importance of male physical domination and control over women during sex."
Many men, indicated the study, associated masculinity with sexual performance. For example, Taher (in the 50+ age group, low education, married), believed that masculinity meant "to be stronger than the woman... If a man is sexually defunct then he is not a man." Lutfi (50+, high education, married) believed that "fairness and gallantry (shahama) are masculinity, but the sexual aspect is more than 50 per cent." Saleh (25-50, low education, married) said: "If a man can't sleep with his wife, he can't raise his voice to her or talk to her... How is a man a man otherwise?"
Sex, according to the study, is an important vehicle of domination. That sex is seen as a means of asserting supremacy and strength was clear in men's discourse. Youssef, for example, is aggressive with his wife because "my inner feeling is that I need to possess a woman, with all her strength and power. This may be because I don't like my mother... I penetrate a woman roughly."
The researchers noted the conspicuous absence of references to sex as an expression of love or a mode of communication, with only one participant talking about sex in the context of a loving relationship with his wife.
While many men in the study emphasised the importance of giving women pleasure during sex, that in itself was not the objective; rather, it was the means to an end -- namely, the fulfillment of their own sense of masculinity and sexual prowess.
Still, many workshop participants were surprised when Mansour revealed that men cited impotence as the greatest threat to their sense of masculinity. Impotence, in many men's eyes, was a fate worse than poverty or illness. Still, poverty was the second most frequently cited threat. Socio-economic factors in general had a great impact on men's self-esteem and sexual performance, noted the study, although perhaps this point could have been elaborated in more detail.
In terms of the link between male sexuality and FGM, many men interviewed suggested that women cannot control their sexual urges completely. Questioning men on FGM, however, Mansour found that their knowledge of the procedure is grossly distorted, with many interviewees describing the practice as a risk-free operation involving the elimination of "an extra bit."
Interestingly, although many men could not tell the difference in physical appearance between a circumcised and uncircumcised woman, they insisted that if they ever married a woman who was not circumcised, they would either have her undergo the operation or divorce her and send her back to her family. The rationale was that a woman who has not been circumcised was not brought up according to the proper moral codes. Men's answers revealed a great deal of insecurity towards uncircumcised women. Some men were convinced that uncircumcised women would make excessive sexual demands which they would not be able to fulfil. The interviewees suggested that mothers should be careful to circumcise their daughters for protection.
All the men's responses regarding masculinity, identity and their perceptions of women clarified their positions on FGM. "Something about FGM made men feel more secure in their sexuality," suggested the study. FGM, the men indicated, was a way of keeping women's sexuality in check. This is an important consideration, when women's enjoyment of sex is essential to proving men's sexuality and masculinity. "In a sense, their ultimate fear was of not being able to satisfy a woman because of being weak. FGM can be seen as a function in the reverse mode: FGM weakens the woman so that a man can satisfy her," indicated the study.
The study strongly suggested that men need to be included in the struggle against FGM; awareness campaigns need to provide men, not just women, with the right information.
Aida Seif El-Dawla, associate professor of psychiatry and member of the Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and Trauma, agreed that campaigns to stop the practice have concentrated on the importance of raising awareness of the issue among women, while failing to take men's influence into account. "Basically, there is no excuse for men to say 'we have nothing to do with the practice, it is the women who do it'," she pointed out, because the study indicates that men play a role in maintaining the practice. "Men need to know how to foster equal relations with their partners, how to enjoy sex without fear," she added. Seif El-Dawla underlined the seriousness of a situation in which men do not know the difference between a circumcised and uncircumcised woman, but still insist on the importance of the practice. "We have blamed mothers and grandmothers for taking [girls] to be circumcised, but we forget that the mother has in mind the fate of her daughter 20 years later, when she is faced with the scandal of not being circumcised," she remarked.
Mansour also asserted that "the myths about women's sexuality have to be dismantled, because men are really scared of women."
Several of the men attending the discussion protested that men's insecurities were being over-emphasised, especially their obsession with sexual performance in a relationship.
Some participants also suggested that more attention should be paid to sex education in the community, through schools or religious institutions. Others pointed out that the problem is not so much a lack of programmes or the community's perception that they are not necessary, but rather the resistance demonstrated by teachers, for instance, to broaching taboo subjects.
Many participants, however, agreed that, while the study does not have all the answers to questions about Egyptian men's sexuality and its impact on gender relations, as a pilot project it has broken the ice around an issue long shrouded in secrecy.
