I would personally never be in anything other than a female led relationship.

female led relationship 800 601 7259Ok, let’s back up a bit, and talk about what a female led relationship is. A FLR is a relationship that takes the conventional script for how a heterosexual couple is supposed to make decisions and flips it on its head. Usually, in a het relationship, the male gets the determining vote about where they’re going to live, who they socialize with, and even what the couple does for leisure. Picture the Cleavers, and how June always went along with what her husband wanted. Now, flip that around and imagine that Ward followed June’s lead. That’s a female led relationship.

In a traditional sort of heterosexual relationship, there are a lot of assumptions about roles and duties.

As you know, I’m a consent junkie. I’m also all about having those conversations that lead to good consent. So assumptions are anathema to me! The assumptions about roles and duties in relationships are the death knell for me, and are exactly why I would choose a FLR over a traditional relationship in a flat heartbeat. Anytime you make assumptions about your partner, you’re skipping over a vital step in establishing consent.

The ‘Consent of the Governed’ is a phrase straight out of civics courses and even our own founding documents for government.

The consent of the governed is a thing that can always be withheld, and when it is removed those who have been governed can rise up in revolt and institute a new system. In a traditional relationship, that very consent on the part of the woman to the assumptions of the man about her role and duties to him can be on shaky ground. Without good consent to be governed, eventually, small problems become large, and intolerable, and the entire relationship falters and fails. It’s riot and rebellion on a home scale. Any relationship that is lacking in trust, communication, and consent is doomed to fail.

Because I’m a relatively self aware person who values consent above all else, a female led relationship just makes sense to me.

While I would never abridge the consent of my partner in any relationship, I likewise would never allow my own consent to be assumed or broken. So many men are conditioned to unconsciously assume things about what a relationship is supposed to be like that allowing my male partners to take the reins would rather result in my consent being trampled over. Therefore, I make the rules, I’m the dominant woman here, and I set the boundaries, and one of those rules is “we will sit down face to face in a neutral location each week to discuss our relationship and any issues in it.” Because the consent of the governed, even when the governed is a weak male beta bitch, is something that I treasure and will seek out.