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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Sex In Marriage

The following is a comment I made a short time back that I've since been meaning to expand upon,


I'll relate a story I heard several years back, it's about a woman who decided she was never going to say 'no' to her husband concerning sex. Not only that, but she was going to go out of her way to have sex every night. She realized that the reasons she was denying her husband sex were very trivial, even downright selfish, and decided to set for herself this goal. She found, after a few months, that she was benefitting from the situation as much or more than her husband. They experienced new level of intimacy and bonding. Much of the 'magic' that had been lost returned. They found themselves loving to spend time together, going out of their way to do little things to make the other happy.....basically it changed their entire marriage. Why? Not because the only thing men care about is sex, but because intimacy in a marriage is much of the glue that binds a man and woman together. It's how, even with the kids and the jobs and all the other crap that goes on during day to day life, a husband and
wife can unite and rejoin, keeping alive the sense of oneness that existed when they were newly in love.


Being on the web and privy to the comments of many men, married as well as single, it becomes readily apparent that the prospects of a sizzling sex life within the bonds of marriage (with your spouse) are not looked upon as very promising. From the sound of things, many, many married men are not remotely happy with the state of their sex lives and have grown to view their marriages as something to endure until death kindly releases them. Now, the response from wives should be one of concern and care, predictably it tends to falls more along the lines of apathy and defensiveness, all the way to mockery and scorn.

To begin this post, I need to first define some ground rules. The following have to be accepted as givens,

1. We have a right to have sex with our spouse
2. Withholding sexual intimacy is callous and cruel
3. Sex between a husband and wife is imperative to a close, loving relationship

I'm sure there are some who would argue those with me, but they are facts. Women trying to argue their way out of and circumvent these facts is a leading reason why so many husbands are not happy with their sex lives.

Let's start with number one, We have a right to have sex with our spouse . Feminism, with it's unparalleled talent for destroying everything natural, has done much to discredit this. Marriage is about union, figurative as well as literal. The literal joining of a husband and wife takes place within the marriage bed and is key to the relationship between a husband and wife.

One of the most damaging things you can do within a marriage is to hold intimacy hostage. Physical intimacy is the way a husband and wife bond together, it is an expression of their love and union. Withholding sex sends a clear message that your marriage and relationship are not above being used in vindictive games and power struggles.

Which brings us to number two, Withholding affection is callous and cruel. Saying "No" to your spouse when they come to you seeking intimacy is rejection, plain and simple. There's no point sugar-coating it, let's call it what it is. Being rejected by the one you love is never an easy thing to take, sexual rejection is generally one of the worst types. Anyone who's familiar with rejection can tell you that a person can only take so much.

I've always remembered a line from a movie, although I've long since forgotten the film itself. The line is from a husband to his wife and he says, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life hoping to get lucky with my own wife". That line really had an impact on me. No one should have to be in a place of having to beg sexual favors from their spouse....but they are, all the time. Women hold sex over men's heads like they would a treat over the head of their dog. Jump, sit, stay....do everything I say and maybe you'll get your treat.....and then they wonder why their husbands are angry and bitter....they wonder why they don't show the same degree affection and care that they once did.

Moving on to number three, Sex between a husband and wife is imperative for a close, loving relationship. Notice please the word, "imperative". There's a reason I didn't say helpful, beneficial or a good idea. A healthy sex life is an absolutely essential element to a happy marriage. Women think they should be able to sexually neglect their husbands without any corresponding impact upon their marriages. It does not work that way, and, as long as we're talking about things that 'don't work', neither does just showing up. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, but in case there's any confusion....sex is a two way streak. There's a reason there are two people involved. Far too many women think their sole contribution to the act of sex is giving in and being present. You might get away with that for a while, but it's going to get old very quickly.

The leading factor in a healthy sex life, as well as a healthy marriage, is selflessness. Giving of oneself completely, without reservation and with love is what sex between a husband and wife is supposed to be...but there lies the conundrum. Giving with no thought of self is less likely in today's marriage than 'till death do us part'. Feminism, in another grand destructive gesture, has taught women that it's "all about them" thus making acts of selflessness rare indeed.

If you stop to take the time and really listen to what men are saying, it's clear that when it comes to sex in marriage, women are, to put it lightly, dropping the ball. Women ask and ask, 'what do men want', they invest millions in magazines, and advice seminars all in search of 'what men want'. My observation is that most women don't really care what men want, because when they're told what men want....when they're told what will really make a difference, what will really make their significant others happy, they either choose to ignore, ridicule or dispute it.

So, while I write these things, with the grand hope that women will read them, follow them (and I guarantee they do work), I think a much more likely scenario is that they'll roll their eyes, think things like, "apparently Kim's never been married, tried to work a job all while caring for her kids" (Married 15 years, 3 kids, thank you very much). I realize that most women don't really want answers, unless those answers are a validation of their actions. They just want what they've grown to expect under feminism....validation and to be told that they are right...which is why most marriages today don't stand a chance.

17 comments:

Ivo Vos said...

Excellent observation. In my experience it’s that simple. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the statement is making love (and producing new life as one of the possible outcomes). The interesting part is making, as opposed to being. Interpreting sex and anything that might be sexual (sometimes it seems to be half the world or more) as instances of power instead of love and intimacy will create a world without love and intimacy and centred around power, very often in an attempt to reduce fear. And the worst part of it, instead of reducing fear it then enhances it. The really good things in life cannot be bought or enforced. They can be given, however. I completely agree with your morality on the subject.
That doesn’t mean to me that sex is always at any time a must or can be enforced. To simplify a relation into this argument or the counterargument would reduce it to something logical. A marriage is more than a logical construct, we might hope.
So, if marriage is to be more than a legal construct, I completely agree that sex ultimately is imperative, simply because it makes love. And that one has to be remade again and again or we’re out of it. And then we can be left with a lot of things, but most probably it’s not sexually based love.

Hawaiian Libertarian said...

Your husband is a fortunate man...you GET IT.

Excellent post!

Kim said...

And that one has to be remade again and again or we’re out of it. And then we can be left with a lot of things, but most probably it’s not sexually based love.


Good point. I think, women have a tendency to think they can separate the physical aspect of a marriage from the emotional. Once the physical love is removed, the emotional cannot exist on it's own. As you said, it may evolve into something else, but it ceases to be the type of love that's meant to exist between husband and wife.

@HL

Thank you. :-)

Anonymous said...

Far too many women think their sole contribution to the act of sex is giving in and being present. You might get away with that for a while, but it's going to get old very quickly.
***

Had a GF who thought exactly like that.
One night she literally just lay spread-eagled on the bed and told me to get it over with.

Really glad I'm not with her anymore, can't imagine years of marriage would have helped that situation any...

Anonymous said...

I've been married for 10 years, and my husband gets it whenever he wants it - in fact I ask for it as much as he does. This probably has something to do with the fact that he knows where my clitoris is, knows what to do with it, and is slow and sensual. There are a lot of selfish women out there, but just as many men who are ignorant about women's bodies and sexuality.

Anonymous said...

kim i heard a rumor about in Canada mra has shut down by court because of hate speech against feminist and women.even though i didn't surprise the ruling but it sad us men don't even have a right to speech. I think it could spread this hate law to other countries.so i don't think being this would so i think we need some actions before its getting too late because i don't see any actions by mra against injustices face by men here in U.S because you know actions speak louder than words. but i only see words but no action. i think you guys need to be more agressive and spread the word in public so more and more people would know the truth.

Anonymous said...

I agree with this so much. When we are intimate a lot, we are much closer and get along much better than when we are not. Unfortunately, he has a hormonal problem that sometimes affects his desire, but I try to be understanding about it.
I would never withhold intimacy from someone I love. It is needed for the relationship to be strong and to thrive through the years.
It is a very sad thing that many men cannot expect to share intimacy with the women they love.

Cabiria said...

Am having trouble figuring out how to navigate here. I would like to subscribe to your blog. How do I do that? Thanks! Cabiria

P.S. I think you're AWESOME...!

sezyboy said...

There was a relationship i had with this woman for 4 years. After a while, the "sex carrot" was used way too many times (actually all the time). Sometimes punishment for disagreeing would enact a no physical contact for months!
After a while of this nonsense i can easily detach myself from sexual urges. oh and then the tables turned.
However, I am sure that is going to hurt my intimacy level with my next partner *sigh.

Anonymous said...

Basically all this post says is that men want sex and women must give men sex. How can women respect men when that's all they want. Men treat women like shit after they get it....I can understand why women no longer want to have sex with their husbands. I don't blame them.

Anonymous said...

A good post, but there is a typo. "Streak" should be "Street".

Anonymous said...

Great post. I have worked through this kind of problem in my marriage, with great success. Several comments: A post on long-term sex by psychoanalyst Jean Hantman makes very similar points, well worth reading. I have reservations about dumping on feminism in this context (I am a man) because it raises the hackles of many readers on a topic which is really tangential to the issue of sex in marriage. Also, in some marriages it is the woman who wants more sex and the man withholding -- readers in that situation may take offense at an assumption that the woman is not putting out. Still, you address the most common issue. My advice: women need to recognize that after marriage and kids, they likely will no longer feel horny as when younger (lower libido). A man may continue to feel horny much of the time (true for this 53 year old). The woman should not wait until she is horny -- she should just give it a go when circumstances permit. A little bit of foreplay can light her fire when it seemed like it was not there at all. Moreover, if the man knows what he is doing, she should get more pleasure out of sex than he does. Her capacity for sexual pleasure vastly exceeds his, although his day to day desire level will run higher. Recognize that there is a tension between selflessness and tender loving versus the really hot animalistic sex that feels so great. As Dr. Hantman points out, we like to think that a polite well adjusted successful and respectable husband is just that, but bear in mind that in the realm of sex he may well want it hot and vigorous (maybe she does too). Good sex is great for intimacy and a sweet marriage, but good sex is uninhibited -- disidentify with Mom's attitudes and let 'er rip.

meerkat.hat said...

This is a general comment, I suppose. I am a feminist. I believe that women should have equal pay and equal opportunities in this country. I believe in furthering the education, healthcare, and safety of women world wide.

I am appalled at the turn to mysandry that feminism in America has taken. I am glad you are "calling us" feminists on it. When did love/marriage become some ideological power struggle? It is sick. Marriage should be about selflessness and caring for another human being, not about getting your way. If people cannot find safety, love, and devotion within their most intimate relationship, then the world is a lonely place indeed.

drex said...

Very real observations. every one of my marraiges (3) and long term relationships has ended primarily because of these reasons..

Lying still for 5 minutes cant be that hard surely?

:)

Anonymous said...

Hello, Kim, I am Amfortas.

If I may take a moment to respond to Merkat who declares herself a feminists and is having second thoughts. Well, one anyway.

A fine cry Meerkat, but why the misandry by omission?

You claim to want equality of opportunity for women and say you believe in furthering the education, healthcare, and safety of women world wide.

Equality with whom?

Laudable goals if they included everyone. But they don't. It is naught but a 'fine intentions' brick that pave the road to Hell.

Being as the majority of boys and men in most parts of the world have no more than a year 5 education, why is your focus entirely on women?

In Africa where millions have little or no education, the Aid agencies always focus on getting the Girls into their makeshift schools. Just look at arch-Feminazi Oprah and her schools. Has she funded one school for Boys? Hah !

Women are almost Universally afforded greater 'safety' than men are and the healthcare of women is ahead of that of men even in the most backward places. Where is men's safety? Men's healthcare? The healthcare budgets for women everywhere far outpace those for men. Do you care? Where is the equality?

You could have extended your 'equality' of pay and opportunity arguement but chose to dump equality when talking of health, education and safety.

You claim to be a feminist but ask when did marriage become an ideoplogical struggle.

It became an ideological power struggle when feminism declared war on it and made it an ideological battlefield. Did you not notice?

I have never seen anything in feminist rhetoric and agitprop about selflessness and caring for one another. In fact, quite the opposite. Men are described as evil rapists and marriage an oppression. Women who want to be wives and mothers are routinely denounced. How come you missed that?

Did you join sane women carrying the happy marriage banner or was that the day you were in the cheering feminist throng handing out AgitProp at the opening of a new abortion clinic or Family Court divorce holocaust machine?

I am pleased that you are asking questions, but Meerkat, you have many, many more to ask, and answer honestly.

Anonymous said...

"we have a right to have sex with our spouse" is only a fact if the spouse is willing. what if the spouse doesn't want to have sex? do you force them? i see what you're getting at, that withholding sex is bad. and it is. sex is the most important part of a relationship, in my opinion. if its good, then the goodness translates to every other part of the relationship. the problem is that people dont recognize how important sex is, for both parties equally. SO many men out there are completely ignorant (or know, but just dont care to put in the effort) about womens bodies. clitoris, people!!! its the most important organ there is! i would bet my life that if there's someone reading this whose wife is withholding sex, its because he's not making her enjoy it, i.e. orgasm. as a result of some men's ignorance of female anatomy, women become complacent, and dont assert their right to sexual pleasure, so naturally she tries to avoid it at all costs. if she doesnt want to have sex with you, you arent doing it right. period.

Janna said...

I have the opposite problem. My husband withholds holding my hand, talking intimately with me, and sex. Putting books, computer and tv before taking time to cuddle and be "with" me. He rejects me in bed and if I bear it no longer and leave the room to go cry, he hears me and lets me cry. It's been 13 years. I can't take it anymore. But I have 4 young children and come from divorced parents myself. I don't want to do this to them, but I can't live this way either.