The last quote about the thrillingly positive impact of Masters’ and Johnson’s research on women alerts us to the importance of seeing sex research in the context of its time as we analyze its impact on women’s sexual experiences and ideas. In our fast-changing world, so many things seem old-fashioned that may have been new and liberating for many at an earlier point in time, but that take on an entirely different aspect as cir cumstances change or unpredicted consequences become known. Let us not make the same mistake we criticize others for and forget to acknowl edge the role of context as we examine some implications of the sexological model for women.
What sex research has benefitted women? And which women have benefitted? These questions can only be answered in retrospect and deserve a serious project of their own to answer. Studies that effectively puncture prevailing assumptions are generally in women’s interest because prevailing assumptions generally stereotype and misrepresent women’s lives—this is a prime assumption of academic feminism.