Breaking the Taboo: Determinants of Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Among Egyptian Women

Abstract

Drawing on 32 semi structured in-depth interviews with Egyptian women, this paper discusses determinants of sexual knowledge and attitudes among premarital and married women and women's agency in presenting sexual desires and gaining sexual knowledge in Egypt. Three main themes emerged as follows: (1) Attitudes toward being sexually educated; the findings show that most women have a positive attitude toward sexual knowledge and being sexually educated. However, there is still some embarrassment and shame associated with expressing their sexual needs or seeking more information about them. (2) Gender inequity in sexual knowledge: respondents have reported that they face social oppression and challenges when expressing their sexual desires, and there is gender inequity in obtaining knowledge about sex. Additionally, women agreed that men have the right to obtain knowledge about sex and that Egyptian society supports men in acquiring such knowledge. (3) General knowledge about sex; the internet is the most common source of information about sex. There is agreement that intimate relationships should be an enjoyable experience for both partners. Furthermore, women have stated that there are some indicators of successful sexual relationships. The current research contributes by filling a gap in the knowledge about women’s sexual education in Egypt, where empirical literature on women’s sexual knowledge in such conservative culture is lacking.