Restricting access to female sexuality to increase its value

In 2004, Florida State University professor Roy Baumeister and colleagues published research proposing that women often view female sexuality as a resource to be exchanged for non-sexual benefits. Their findings also suggested that cultural restrictions on the availability of female sexuality are frequently imposed and maintained not by men, but by women themselves, in order to preserve a high perceived exchange value for their sexuality.

In line with this theoretical framework, some observers note that in countries like Indonesia, some women choose to wear veils as a personal choice rather than solely due to institutional pressure. While some governments, such as Turkey (historically in state institutions) and Tunisia (in certain public sectors), have implemented restrictions on religious attire in specific state contexts, women in these and other regions may still choose to wear veils. Within this theory, the veil is sometimes interpreted as a signal that the wearer is not sexually accessible, thereby purportedly preserving her perceived exchange value.

From the perspective of sexual economics theory, women in Western countries employ various social and legal strategies to protect the perceived market value of female sexuality. One such strategy is to limit male access to a wide range of otherwise attractive options. According to this framework, measures such as age-of-consent laws, conjugal property rights, the high costs of divorce, restrictions on prostitution, the stigmatization of promiscuity, regulations on internet dating, the legal recognition of marital rape, activism against pornography, and institutional consequences for disrespectful comments about women are interpreted as mechanisms that protect the exchange value of female sexuality. This is argued to particularly benefit women who might otherwise face lower demand in a completely unregulated market.

From another perspective within this framework, it is argued that a woman may willingly engage in sexual activity with a partner she loves, even if she is not immediately sexually aroused. The derived satisfaction is viewed not strictly as sexual, but as the fulfillment of providing something highly valued to a partner, thereby reinforcing his role as a committed provider and protector.

This is the context in which the theory suggests women want to be sexually desired even when not immediately aroused, and why they may experience a sense of fulfillment when granting sexual access in exchange for long-term commitment.

As summarized in this literature: "Collusion—women working together—would be the most rational way to elevate the 'market value' of sex."