Abstract
The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD), or in everyday notion, sexual dissatisfaction, among Malay women remains high, denoting that there are several influences shaping their experience of sex within marriage. This qualitative study identified the perceived effects of social factors in the development of sexual dysfunction among Malay women. Engaging a phenomenological framework, 26 in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted among married women from Peninsular Malaysia, based on their self-reporting of FSD symptoms. All sessions were audio-recorded and the data were transcribed verbatim and managed in the ATLAS.ti software before being analysed. The three themes that emerged—‘sex is taboo and culturally unacceptable’, ‘self-ignorance about sex’, and ‘lack of husband’s role in mutual sexual enjoyment’—suggest some influence of Islamic teachings and cultural conduct, as in Adat, on sexuality in society. However, a lack of knowledge and nonadherence to positive values and teachings around sexual satisfaction between men and women, as espoused through the Islamic religion, have affected woman’s sexual functions and coupling relationship even more significantly. The results of this qualitative study show that a formal, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive sex education programme incorporating both medical and Islamic knowledge may work to effectively reduce FSD.
Highlights
Malays have a unique legal identity formed by their religion (Islam), language (Bahasa Melayu), and customs (Adat), formalized in Malaysia’s independence in 1957 (Federal Constitution 2010)
Malays are associated with politeness and humility, which are viewed as positive characteristics and are actively reinforced by Islamic teaching
This paper aimed to evaluate the causes behind sexual dysfunctionality or sexual dissatisfaction among Malay women
Summary
These three components were brought together as a political solution in a geographical area with a complex history, and contribute to shaping the sexual identity of Malay women. Over time nonsharia practices are being slowly modified to follow Islamic law, both through political will and through the influence of Islam on what constitutes desirable personal attributes (Harun 2009). The profile of the 26 Malay women involved in this study is reported in Table 1 as well as in Muhamad et al (2019). On average they were 39.5 years-old, had been married for almost 14 years, and the majority worked in public service.
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