For many women an active sex life is on the bottom of their 'must have' list. What's happened to their sexual urges? Is it a medical issue, or a matter of competing priorities? One of Australia's leading sexual anthropologists investigates.
Is women's sexual desire in the Western world at an all time low? When it comes to women's priorities, is sex on top?
Lack of libido is women's most common sexual problem and once in a secure relationship, women's sex drive begins to plummet. Exploring what our libido is and why it is being depleted, sexual anthropologist Dr Bella Ellwood-Clayton argues that women don't want sex because they don't feel sexy. At a time when women's libidos are being threatened by the wider forces of media, marketing and medication and our increasingly pressured lives, who can blame them? With increasing numbers of women with low libido being diagnosed as 'sexually dysfunctional', the race to create a 'pink Viagra' is on. But do we have unrealistic expectations about our sex drive? Who defines what is normal and abnormal? And could 'low libido' in fact be the natural order of things? Provocative, authoritative and engaging, Sex Drive: In pursuit of female desire is both fascinating reading and a book that is creating passionate debate.
About the Author
Bella Ellwood-Clayton was born in Melbourne, spent her early years in Canada, and returned to Australia in 2000 to study and live. She is an internationally respected sexual anthropologist who holds a B.A. Hons, with a thesis on cross-cultural notions of beauty (Concordia University), and a Ph.D on young women's sexuality (University of Melbourne). In addition to appearances on television and radio, Dr Bella has written for many major newspapers and magazines. She also gives public talks and has made a popular documentary with National Geographic.
Industry Reviews
"Engaging, insightful, and readable . . . sexual anthropologist Ellwood-Clayton draws on philosophical, psychological, physiological, and cultural sources, as well as interviews with an array of women, in order to investigate the nuances of female desire." --Publishers Weekly
"An intriguing and insightful journey across the female libido, challenging the accepted truths and answering those who seek to define and limit what is 'normal' . . . Bella Ellwood-Clayton explores the way that the media manipulates our desires, what becoming a mother really means for our sex life, the impact of anti-depressants on our libido, how our desires change as we age, as well as the problematic search for the 'pink Viagra'." --Monica Dux, author of The Great Feminist Denial
"A scholarly and thoughtful book on the subject of women and sex. Dr. Ellwood-Clayton examines woman's desire from social, medical and historical perspective across many eras and cultures . . .Your partner may want to read this book too." --Wendy Harmer, author of Love and Punishment
"Snappily written, well-researched book . . . Sex Drive takes a constructive approach to the so-called crisis in female sexuality. The author tells us to forget notions of "dysfunction" and embrace our own sensuality." --Courier Mail
"This is a useful, timely book . . . Verdict: smart, sassy and helpful." --The Age
"[Sex Drive] unpicks the way women get sucked into the vortex of career, family, housework, and trying to appear desirable, which leaves no time to actually desire . . . The central, crucial message is posed as a question: What if low libido is not a problem at all but rather falls within the 'normal' range of female desire?" --Sunday Star Times
