The internet provides a safe space for Egyptian women to talk about their dirty secrets, and it allows people to talk about the abuse and disgrace of these practices. Despite the increasing level of divorce in Egypt, a lack of information about sex in the country leads to abuse and the resulting rise in marital breakdowns. Nearly 40% of marriages in Egypt end in divorce. While talking about sex in Egypt has become increasingly acceptable, more needs to be done to eliminate the stigma surrounding it.
Ancient Egyptian sex was very similar to the way we act today. We engage in premarital sex, trivial virginity, divorce, and genital operations. But there were some differences, such as the belief that sex was a profoundly meaningful act, and that it gave rise to the entire world. And, while the ancient Egyptians were not puritanical in their views on sex, there were no social structures to prohibit children born out of wedlock.
While there is little archaeological evidence for same-sex relationships, there are some myths that suggest this was a common practice. In the myth of Horus and Seth, the male gods usually had a single female wife. Seth tries to rape Horus, but Horus tricks him by catching the semen in his hands. Moreover, Pepi II was the longest-ruling king in history, and the story of his sexual relations with Sasenet is known to exist in fragmentary papyrus.
The main reason why Egypt restricts women’s access to sex education is due to a culture-based social conservative and religious viewpoint. However, there are deeper motivations for restricting women’s access to sex education. The Egyptians have an inherent notion of purity that applies to both men and women. Egyptian women are presented as exemplary examples of purity, and are therefore not allowed to engage in sex for pleasure.
In ancient Egypt, men were not always able to define and express masculinity the same way. There was a debate about the misuse of aggressive behavior, and the boundaries between homosocial friendship and homoerotic attachment were often ambiguous. Consequently, there were several “ways to be masculine” that were not strictly defined by gender. They may have been the means to an end, not necessarily a way to reproduce. This theory requires more research.
The government drafted its first law disciplining commercial sex in 1882. The law made sex workers undergo regular medical examinations. The government even managed inspection rooms in both Alexandria and Cairo, where special registers were kept of each woman’s weekly examination. These women were then dismissed from lock hospitals. They were not allowed to work in brothels after the adoption of the law. However, these restrictions did not stop the practice of prostitution in Egypt.
In the same story, the gods Horus and Isis were trying to seduce each other. Osiris had a penis that was made of clay. In a bid to win the power of Osiris, Set and Isis made a plan to ‘impregnate’ Osiris with Seth’s semen. The plan did not work because Set wanted to be the chief god and the other gods would have been furious.
In the Book of the Dead, the goddess Mut was sometimes depicted holding a phallus. She was often portrayed in this way as a source of power and regenerative power. In fact, the goddess is said to have sex with the gods in a variety of ways, including the cult of Min, whose worship is considered sacred by the Egyptians. So, what does this have to do with Egyptian sex?
The spatial organization of sex in Cairo varies according to location. The vast majority of pimps are foreigners or working-class men. They are paid handsomely for their services. In addition, they pay their sex workers and domestic servants well. The money that they earn is used for lavish activities. For a long time, these were the only sources of income in the city, but in recent decades, there has been an increasing number of foreign tourists who came to Egypt to enjoy the sex industry.
While the Egyptians had no word for “virgin,” they believed that prostitution was a sacred act performed for the gods. Egyptian women also continued breastfeeding up to three years. This prolonged the gestation period and inhibited pregnancy. Similarly, Egyptian men tried to prevent unwanted pregnancies by getting tattoos. Because of these social norms, prostitution was not as widespread as it is today. The earliest written records mention no mention of brothels in Egypt, and there are few legal decisions mentioning it.
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