One pernicious idea surrounding sex is the commodity model or the “market value” of sex. The idea behind the “economy” of sex is a model of interaction between straight men and women based on the idea of supply and demand. It comes in a number of flavors – some of them more overtly misogynistic than others – but the basic premise is this: The price of something is balanced between the supply available and the demand for the item. Because men supposedly want sex more than women do, men control the demand while women control the supply. Thus, women are able to set the “price” for sex.
But how valid is this idea in the first place? What factors actually affect the “market value” of sex and how do we change the price to make sex more available?
This article originally appeared on Doctor Nerd Love
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