Male dominance (BDSM)

Maledom, or male dominance, generally refers to heterosexual BDSM activities where the dominant partner is male, and the submissive partner is female. However, the term is sometimes used to refer to homosexual BDSM activities, where both partners are male.

Compare with female dominance, also known as femdom.

Maledom scenarios are common in BDSM fiction, including works such as the Story of O and the works of John Norman and Adrian Hunter.

Maledom fiction began with the works of the Marquis de Sade who wrote about sexual scenarios in which men (mostly) tortured women. The term "sadism" is derived from de Sade's name.

Maledom dd scenarios are often critiqued by feminists because the imposition of the male as the dominant figure can be seen as implying the inferiority of females, though some say this is hypocritical as they generally do not critizise female dominance.