Name: The lies we tell pregnant women
Uploaded: 2017-01-06T16:15:38Z
Duration: 13 min 28 s
Description: "When we tell women that sex isn't worth the risk during pregnancy, what we're telling her is that her sexual pleasure doesn't matter ... that she in fact doesn't matter," says sex researcher Sofia Jawed-Wessel. In this eye-opening talk, Jawed-Wessel mines our views about pregnancy and pleasure to lay bare the relationship between women, sex and systems of power.

Sofia Jawed-Wessel: The lies we tell pregnant women

The lies we tell pregnant women

"When we tell women that sex isn't worth the risk during pregnancy, what we're telling her is that her sexual pleasure doesn't matter ... that she in fact doesn't matter," says sex researcher Sofia Jawed-Wessel. In this eye-opening talk, Jawed-Wessel mines our views about pregnancy and pleasure to lay bare the relationship between women, sex and systems of power.

Society often strips pregnant women of their autonomy, treating them as vessels instead of full people. From strangers touching their bellies to medical professionals withholding information about safe sex or moderate drinking, pregnant women are routinely denied privacy and choice. Many are labeled as 'cute,' reducing them to childlike status and erasing their complexity. Challenging these patterns is vital for real gender equality.