Anyone who has studied CULTURE, SOCIOLOGY, or HISTORY: i have an interesting question.?

Question

Do you recall reading about a time when s*x was used to gain some sort of social status?

I'm writing a research paper about how much Culture effects Sexual Behavior more than Biology.

Answer 1

We seem to be back to your obsession!

Whilst history is punctuated by individual females, who used their sexuality to attain social advancement and power, it has never been a cultural movement.

The political arrangements for marriage have always been to enhance clan affiliations and alliances. The sexual aspect was, no more, nor less, than a means by which mutually acceptable heirs were produced, to carry on the alliances.

Whilst there were and are a few matriarchal societies, they tend to be very localised, of no real impact on wider political, or social systems. They evolve to maximise limited male breeding stock............ the converse is the Harem system.

There has been a hot debate about neolithic matriarchies. The general concensus, today, accepts that the evidence for such systems is weak, if non-existent. So-called matriarchies of modern history and present cultures actually rely on the good offices of the male relatives and allies of the senior female, so may be more properly called matrifocal communities............ Once again this sort of arrangement has more to do with efficient use of the local gene pool than a political arrangement.

The major historical matriarchal and matrifocal societies of literature are just that: legends!

There has been an apparent attempt by modern feminists and Wiccans to prove the existence of  matriarchal civilisations. However, there has been no substantiated evidence of such societies ever existing.

One might find ONE near-matriarchal society in Southern India. However, it has always relied on the prowess of its male members, to stay in existence. Today it has virtually ceased to exist.

There has been a distinct difference between Graeco-Roman and so-called Barbarian cultures in the treatment of women. Whilst both sides considered females as chattels, casual s*x outside the marriage was acceptable to the Barbarian Tribes. They formalised this relaxed attitude to what is, after all, a basic biological function, in their seasonal religious festivals.

The Graeco-Romans considered such "transgressions" as reason for war.

The Indo-Chinese civilisations might appear to have been highly s*x-orientated. However, the erotic carvings and literature, dating from historic times, are more an expression of male political and religious power over the female, than much else.