Sex Drive: In pursuit of female desire

(Paperback)

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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 Recent studies tell us that lack of libido is women's most common sexual problem and that once in a secure relationship, women's sex drive begins to plummet. So, what's going on Sexual anthropologist Dr Bella Ellwood-Clayton explores sexuality as it relates to body image, parenting, ageing, depression and the wear and tear of relationships. Traversing historical thought and contemporary culture, she argues that women are experiencing a mind-body disconnect in which they 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 work-places and lives, who can blame them Sex Drive explores what our libido is, how it works, and why it is being depleted. Increasing numbers of women with 'low libido' are being diagnosed as sexually dysfunctional, but the definition doctors are using come from pharmaceutical company-funded research. With the race on to create a 'pink Viagra', a sex drug for women, the state of our sexual well-being is under siege. Bella examines the designer drugs Oprah and others are advocating that bottle youth and sex drive. Dr Bella asks: 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 Perhaps it's not that we're sexually depleted or that our libido is 'low', but that our creative, vibrant energy is being directed elsewhere. Authoritative and engaging, Sex Drive: In Pursuit of Female Desire is both fascinating reading and a book that is creating passionate debate.

Reviews

"[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
"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
"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
"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
"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

Author Bio

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.