sexstrike

A sex strike is a form of nonviolent protest in which participants withhold sexual activity or access to sex in order to pressure opponents, authorities, or institutions to change policies or behaviors. It is typically organized by women or other groups seeking political or social leverage, though variations can involve mixed groups or broader communities.

Mechanically, a sex strike relies on intimate and social power dynamics within households and communities. Participants coordinate abstinence, public messaging, and symbolic acts to signal demands and increase the perceived costs of continued opposition. The tactic often aims to disrupt coercive or transactional gender norms and to draw attention to a grievance through collective action.

Historically and in literature, sex strikes have appeared in various cultures, with the most famous depiction in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The play, written in the 5th century BCE, portrays Athenian women withholding sex to compel men to negotiate an end to the Peloponnesian War. While Lysistrata is a dramatic satire, it has contributed to the cultural association between sex strikes and political protest.

In modern scholarship, sex strikes are discussed as a form of nonviolent resistance, but actual implementations are relatively rare and often controversial. Critics highlight ethical concerns, including coercion and gendered power imbalances, while proponents argue that such tactics can spotlight demands and alter political calculation.