Claims Quote by Andrea Dworkin
“Sex as desired by the class that dominates women is held by that class to be elemental, urgent, necessary, even if or even though it appears to require the repudiation of any claim women might have to full human standing. In the subordination of women, inequality itself is sexualized, made into the experience of sexual pleasure, essential to sexual desire.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Women and Pornography, 1989
The dominant class frames sexual desire as essential and urgent, turning women’s subordination into a source of pleasure and reinforcing inequality.
In simple terms: Powerful men make sex a tool of control, tying desire to domination.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge how desire is used to sustain oppression.
Themes
gender
power
sexuality
oppression
inequality
Mood
critical
defiant
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
feminist
When to use this quote
- media analysis
- policy advocacy
- education curricula
- personal relationships
Key Concepts
feminist theory
social construction
hegemonic masculinity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does desire become a mechanism of control?
- Can desire be reclaimed outside domination?
A Different Perspective
It can overlook agency and the complexity of consensual desire.
