Recently the Malaysian government has put forth a ban on a book written by the Obedient Wives Club, that instructs women to “be submissive and keep their spouses happy in the bedroom”. This sex manual was said to be a guide for women about sex in order to maintain harmony within the home, and to avoid other social ills women endure. The OWC's international vice-president Rohaya Mohamad explained that “men have [sexual] needs which they can't control. If the needs are not fulfilled, men will find another women”. A chapter in the book states that women must serve as a “good sex worker” and a “whore” to ensure their husbands, many who are involved in polygamous marriages, won't commit adultery. A co-founder of the group says that if a husband wants sex, a women must comply. If not, then an angle will curse her; which is not ideal for the family. The book does not have explicit photos, but is said to be used as a spiritual guide by the members to help better understand sex. Even though the organization has 800 members, many Malaysians oppose the book declaring that it mocks women's roles within society.
The Obedient Wives Club is not putting an emphasis on advancing women's roles within society, but rather how to fulfill the position of meeting the husbands needs. Local rights organizations have said that “what this club signifies is a regression, a moving backwards, in [what] women and other progressive men are trying to do for gender equality”. The argument that the OWC makes on how this will ensure a happy household has been controversial. The members believe that the reason for divorce and other issues in the home are related to how obedient the wife is; when research has shown that it is actually linked to economic factors. This means that the focus should be on progressing women forward in society instead of maintaing the pressure to be the perfect housewife. It is important to stress that in order to attain having equal rights, that women are not being forced or constrained to roles that does not empower or allow them to express the rights they deserve. That to extinguish the social issues such as domestic violence, human trafficking, and abandoned babies, the effort should be in how to promote women within the society, rather then how they can improve in bed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/03/malaysia-obedient-wives-sex-manual
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