Sex for women was better under socialism

From page 7

on the female orgasm in that year and in 1961 convened a conference devoted solely to that topic. But unlike in the West where the physiological aspects were emphasized, these studies focused on the social, namely, importance of the equality between men and women as the core component of female pleasure. In pre1989 Poland, sexologists also did not limit sex to bodily experiences but stressed the importance of social and cultural contexts for sexual pleasure. They believed that the best stimulation would not help to achieve pleasure if a woman is stressed or overworked or worried about her future or financial stability.

Ana Durcheva, who lived for 43 years under socialism in Bulgaria complained that the “new free market hindered Bulgarians’ ability to have more amorous relationships.”

She was a single mother for many years but said that her life before 1989 was more gratifying. “My life was full of romance,” she said and complained that all her daughter does is work and is too tired to be with her husband when he comes home.

A study of East and West Germans after reunification found that Eastern women had twice as many orgasms as West German women. Researchers marvelled at the disparity, especially since Eastern women suffered the double burden of employment and housework while West German women had all the advantages of labour saving devices and many did not work. But they had less sex, and less satisfying sex than women who had to line up for toilet paper.

Ghodsee attributed this to a better quality of life due in part to the fact that socialist countries saw women’s emancipation as central to advanced socialist societies which those countries saw themselves as building. (I am grateful to Professor Ghodsee for the most of the facts and some of the analysis herein. I take responsibility for the opinions, express and implied.)