Male dominance (BDSM)

Male dominance in public at Cologne Pride, Germany (left) and a dominant male spanks a female's buttocks (right).

Male dominance, or maledom is a BDSM practice where the dominant partner is male. A sexually dominant male in BDSM practices is also known as a maledom. Maledoms can be professional as well as non-professional. The term ProDom is used for a professional male dominant who earns money by working as a professional dominant as part of the sex industry. A maledom who role-plays a paternal figure is also known as Daddy Dom.

Practices of domination common to many BDSM and other various sexual relationships are also prevalent, such as various forms of body worship including cock and ball worship, ass worship and foot worship, fellatio, tease and denial, corporal punishment including spanking, caning and whipping, breast torture, pussy torture, orgasm denial, and as well as verbal humiliation, face slapping, hair pulling, wax play, spitting, golden showers, forced orgasm, "forced" chastity, and irrumatio. Male dominance may also take place in the form of clothed male, naked female.

Male dominants are often referred to as dom, master, owner, sir, taskmaster, corporalist, boss or top. For some people, male dominance is only used in sexual and intimate scenarios, but for others male dominance can be included in 24/7 BDSM relationships.

A 1995 study indicated that 71% of heterosexual males preferred a dominant-initiator role, but a more recent study in Germany from 2015 indicates that 29.5% of men who are active in BDSM express a preference for a dominant role, 24% consider themselves to be switches and 46.6% of men prefer the submissive role. Another survey in Colorado from 2017, challenges these conclusions, and indicates that men tend to self-identify as Dominant, Master, Top, or Sadist (DMTS) and always perform dominant roles.

Psychology behind maledom

In tribal or hierarchical societies, men with lower status or rank within the male hierarchy may exhibit dominance over women as a strategy to gain sexual access or assert their masculinity. These men, unable to compete effectively with higher-status men in traditional male-to-male competition, may channel their competitive instincts toward women instead.

From an evolutionary perspective, masculinity is often associated with competing against other men for resources, status, or mates. When a man struggles to assert dominance or achieve success within the male hierarchy, he may redirect this need for control and validation into relationships with women. In this context, dominance over women becomes a compensatory mechanism for asserting power and fulfilling sexual or emotional needs.

This behavior reflects an underlying insecurity or inability to compete with other men on equal terms, diverging from the traditional masculine ideal of competing with peers rather than with women. It may also signify a distortion of masculinity, as true masculine traits are typically characterized by cooperation, leadership, and competition among men rather than dominance over those perceived as less powerful. In summary men with low hierarchical gene turn to maledom.

Popular culture

Male dominance in public at Folsom Street Fair, USA

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 is a growing adult film genre.

Maledom fiction began with the works of the Marquis de Sade who wrote about sexual scenarios in which men tortured others, primarily women. The term sadism is derived from de Sade's name. Since then, the lifestyle around male dominance has grown into a large part of the BDSM scene.

The Fifty Shades novel series by E. L. James is associated with the cultural mainstreaming and normalising of BDSM. The books achieved great commercial success, with the first volume selling over 100 million copies worldwide.

Other works include:

• John Warren, The Loving Dominant, Greenery Press, 2001, ISBN 1-890159-20-4
• Jack Rinella, The Master's Manual: Handbook of Erotic Dominance, Daedalus Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-881943-03-8

See also

• Cuckquean
• Dominance and submission
• Dominatrix
• Female submission
• Fisting
• Gender role
• Cock and ball torture
• Male submission