Male and female circumcision is almost always a procedure that a child or newborn baby undergoes, without their consent. In both males and females, their parents are the ones deciding that they need to be circumcised. Whether it is for cultural, religious, or for medical purposes 200 million women worldwide have been circumcised and 1/3 of all men are circumcised. In all cases it is the parents making the decision for their child to be circumcised as a means to better their life. However, in western nations while male circumcision is seen as a beneficial medical practice female circumcision is seen as genital mutilation.

Male circumcision involves removing the foreskin of the penis in order to reduce the chances of developing an infection and as a means to reduce the transmission of STI’s. Female circumcisions vary in both amount of flesh removed and effects of the procedure. Type 1a circumcision is the removal of the clitoral hood to leave the clitoris more exposed. Types 1b, 2, and 3 vary in level of flesh removed but ultimately reduce a woman’s ability to experience pleasure from sex. Type 3 female circumcisions involve removal of the inner and outer labia, and then sewing together the affected area. Male circumcision can be looked at as comparable to a type 1a female circumcision where types 1b-3 would equate to removing all nerves from the penis to completely destroying the penis. Although female circumcision can easily be viewed as mutilation it is seen as a beneficial procedure in parts of Africa and southern Asia.

The practice of circumcision gives insight into how a culture values their women. In African and south Asian cultures where female circumcision is practiced women are seen as a means to an end. Sex for women is supposed to only be a means of producing children and they are not meant to derive pleasure from it, whereas the men are not mutilated and can experience pleasure from sex. Some in those cultures even view female circumcisions as a means of protecting their daughters so that they do not become promiscuous. In order to end female circumcision, it is going to take mass education of African and Asian cultures that continue the practice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation#WHO_Types_I.E2.80.93II