Women Report They're Not Having Sex As Much As They'd Like; Study Knocks Down Gender Stereotypes
Women don’t want sex as much as men do. Women need an emotional connection to enjoy sex. Women don’t have multiple orgasms. Everyone’s heard these stereotypes about women and sex — some of which hold true. But according to a recent study conducted by fertility app Kindara, the majority of them are just flat out wrong.
Kindara asked 500 women questions relating to common sex stereotypes, including the importance of an emotional connection; what, if any factors impede their sex life; and how often do women desire sex. The survey found that 53.2 percent of the women did not have sex as often as they would like. Almost three quarters of the respondents said they’d like to engage in sexual activity more than three times per week, and 13 percent of respondents reported wanting sex more than even six times per week.
When it came to reaching orgasm, many women reported being able to more than once per sexual encounter: About 72 percent of women reported reaching orgasm at least once during every sex act, and 10.2 percent of all women said they reach orgasm multiple times. These findings are significantly different than the 1994 study that found 75 percent of men and 29 percent of women always have orgasms with their partner. According to Kindara, the last twenty years have yielded a bit more equality in terms of sexual pleasure.
Sometimes things don’t go as planned though, based on what women reported as far as the factors that take the biggest toll on their sex lives. Stress was considered the primary culprit of low female libido, followed by being out of sync with a partner, not being in the mood, and struggling with self-image. “Other” was also an option 15.4 percent of women chose, which shows that sexual interactions can be complicated by a multitude of things, such as being in a long-distance relationship, taking medication that affects libido, and recovering from trauma.
One stereotype, however, did hold up: About 53 percent of women agreed that an emotional connection was the most important aspect of good sex, just ahead of foreplay and communication.
This research demonstrates the ever-changing landscape of women’s sexuality, and definitely breaks down a few traditional views that just aren’t valid anymore. The most important take away may have simply been, if not obviously this: women want more sex.