Sexual Addiction in Women: Causes, Signs and Recovery

Sexual addiction is a term that is usually attributed to men. When one hears of pornography, one-night stands, compulsive cheating or risky sex, one tends to think of men. They are the ones who have always been considered to be the sexual ones, while women are usually viewed as creatures who must be in love in order to share their bodies. Women have always been viewed as the weaker sex, so if they are caught in compromising sexual situations, they must either be in love or it must have been forced upon them in some way.

In this world where women strive for equality, work in high powered careers, and strive for financial independence, the area of women's sexuality is rarely discussed. More specifically, women's sexual expression is rarely discussed...especially inappropriate or risky sexual expression.

There has always been a double standard when it comes to sexuality. Men come with the expectation that they will be sexually adventurous. If they look at porn or openly flirt, women are taught to just accept that's how men are. But if a woman engages in these same behaviors, it is deemed unacceptable and she is called names such as slut. There is an old saying that "a man's penis has no conscience", and along with that saying comes the assumption that the female counterpart does. But is this true? Or have women just been fooling themselves to avoid being labeled negatively?

There have been a few women over the years who have tried to knock holes in this sexual stereotyping by pushing the limits and crossing the boundaries. Mae West was a sultry, sexual movie icon who shocked people as they giggled at her naughty bravery. Erica Jong shocked the world with her novel "Fear of Flying" which told the story of Isadora Wing's journey to find herself as she hopped from bed to bed and man to man. Much of Jong's work was considered by many to be pornographic, but if the female in "Fear of Flying" had been a man, that same message would not have seemed so. It would have been merely expected.