What is the reasoning behind female circumcision?

Question

I just got back from Kenya. It was explained that the woman of the family actually handle the procedure. I couldn't get a straight answer why they do this crazy thing? They say it is "cultural", but what the heck does that mean? Anybody???

Answer 1

it is a prehistoric practice which is unfortunately still performed in far too many countries. the purpose of the removal of the clitoris and sewing up of the labia majora and the vagina are to ensure virginity and purity in women. when the woman marries, the husband still manages to impregnate her despite the extreme pain of trying to have sex without real access to the vagina. when the woman goes into labour, the labia and vaginal openings are slit so the child can be delivered, then are sewn shut again afterward. this procedure happens with the birth of each child. by the time the woman is menopausal (if she has survived that long) she is usally hobbled by the repeated incisions and suturing. many girls die of their "circumcision" due to shock and/or subsequent infection. It should be no surprise really that it is the women who do this to their children. by removing the girls sexual pleasure and therefore desire, it is much easier to control them; in many cultures, the only power a woman has is over herself, and in these cultures she is denied even that. if a woman is circumcised but then refuses to allow her daughters to be circumcised, then many problems ensue. first of all, the mother will fear no one will want to marry her daughter, that she will be considered impure, and that she will be considered dangerous as she may be ruled by carnal desire. further, other women in the family group and community will be threatened by a woman whose sexuality is intact. she will be more than they and they will resent and fear her. most of the men from these cultures would prefer that female circumcision stop because it impedes on their sexual pleasure, too. and that may be one more reason why the practice is upheld; in a culture where men are theonly ones who are allowed to take pleasure on a daily basis (eg drink beer, hang out with the boys after work, do no domestic work whatsoever), it seems only natural the women wouldn't be too quick to give sexual pleasure on top of everything else. the burdens of work and family lie far more heavily on women in these cultures than we can even begin to imagine. Perhaps, in this light, it isn't so difficult to understand why they took their sexuality from themselves in order to deny their men from taking it at will.

Answer 2

I work with an am friendswith a woman from Eritra Africa she is 32 yrs old and we were talking about having our sons circumcised and she said that in her culture that daughters were circumcised. We stopped and said What? What do you mean, How.
She said that it is now outlawed in most parts of Africa but that some areas still practice it in hiding, she said that an elder of the family (Female, Mother , grandmother staralized a knife an opened the viginal lips and cut the coloritilas off then, the baby girl is doctored and the body heals. We were like oh my God why in the world would anyone do something like that? and she said that the Male ( Father,Grandfather even husbands) believe that this will keep a woman from straying and becomming a whore.
Because without the coloritilias they can't be stimulated easily, and the woman feel that they are much more cleaner than un-circumsized women.
We were all in shock, I told her that is barbaric,would you even consider doing that to a daughter of yours and she said Yes she would that that is her culture and she said if she has a daughter she would like for her grandmother to do it.

Answer 3

Male and female circumcision are pushed for the same reasons -- lower sexual pleasure, primitive ideas about hygiene, religion, looks and claims about disease avoidance. At least two studies Stallings et al. (2009) and Kanki et al. concluded that female circumcision (in these cases labia and clitoral hood cutting) lowered HIV risk to the cut women. The most prevalent FGM is the cutting of the labia and clitoral hood (not the clitoris) and it is often done in a hospital setting. Some women claim the sex is fine, say it is cleaner and they want it done to their daughters. The people that push female circumcision say it is not mutilation. The people that push male circumcision say it is not mutilation. As long as people apply a sexist spin, treating FORCED male mutilation differently from FORCED female mutilation, FORCED genital cutting will continue. It may hit men more, and more men will die (as they do each year in Africa), but those that cut girls will continue until those that cut boys STOP.

Answer 4

I've heard it's done to diminish the amount of sexual pleasure experienced by a woman. The reasoning is that if a woman can't enjoy sex, she won't go looking for satisfaction somewhere else if her husband's skills aren't enough for her.
This is only what I've heard--I don't know if it's true or not. Hope it helps.

Answer 5

sparkles,never heard....? maybe if you removed yourself from your ivory tower & come down to meet the lesser mortals you wouldn't lol.what they going to cut of???? clitoris; oops, yeah, so when you finish laughing, think about it
Anyway back to the Q, why they do it? to stop the woman enjoying/getting any pleasure from sex,so she won't stray from her husband,yes it is barbaric & extremely unfair.
Cultural??!! well yes,just like male circumcision is,& no you won't get an answer.

Answer 6

women don't enjoy sex any more and are in pain when they have sexual intercourse. I guess it's some weird sadistic way of the men to opress the women.
How women can do this to each other I can't understand a bit!

Answer 7

most likely it hapen in Africa and some of the Muslim countries and Egypt where the weather is hot the reason is the Clint is to long look like a wee nee but there is a call in this country to ban it

Answer 8

It's not funny, sparkles, it is the removal of the clitoris. Often done without anaesthetic, sterilised equipment, or even a doctor.

It is yet another way of subjugating women in backward societies.

Answer 9

so women get no pleasure out of the sex act therefore they simply lay down and take it from their husband and wont go looking for pleasure from other men because they dont have pleasure and are just tools for men to get off. disgusting isnt it.

Answer 10

They do that because they men there don't want them to be sexually active and afraid of them commiting infidelity due to religion they practices. Which is wrong thing to do to a human being.