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The Prioritization of Women's Orgasms During Heterosex: A Critical Feminist Review of the Implications for Women's Sexual Liberation
The Journal of Sex Research
Abstract
Orgasm is considered by many to be an essential part of women's ideal sexual experiences. As a result, sexual liberation narratives have often advocated for the prioritization of women's orgasms - particularly during heterosex - framing them as a central indicator of "good," healthy, liberated sex. However, scholars have increasingly critiqued these narratives, arguing that they result in an orgasm imperative that has negatively impacted women's sexual lives. Perspectives that promote the prioritization of women's orgasm and those that warn against the negative repercussions strive for the same thing - to draw attention to women's sexuality in ways that will lead to more pleasurable, enjoyable, and equitable sex for women overall. Yet, together, they offer contradictory messages about the role that women's orgasms can or should play in women's sexual liberation. For example, one could argue that it perhaps makes sense to prioritize women's orgasms given that they often are highly pleasurable for women, center a unique form of embodied pleasure, and offer a supposedly clear objective for women and their men partners. On the other hand, such narratives frame women's orgasm absence as abnormal, concede to men's sexuality in problematic ways, and constrain more comprehensive possibilities for women's sexual pleasure. In this critical feminist review, I offer a summative outline of these and other contradictions, focusing on how narratives prioritizing women's orgasms can have simultaneous benefits and negative repercussions when it comes to (1) women's sexual pleasure, (2) the medicalization/pathologization of women's orgasms, and (3) heterosex norms.
... These results correspond with social scripting theory, which suggests that, while sociocultural scripts implicitly prescribe gender roles, normative behaviors, and expectations by default (as observed in Study 1), sexual partners can resist and reconstruct their interpersonal scripts to better align with their sexual needs and relational dynamics (Lamont, 2017;Masters et al., 2013;Wiederman, 2005)-for example normalizing clitoral stimulation and shared orgasm pursuit (as we did in Study 2). Considering that adaptations at the interpersonal level still occur within the constraints of broader sociocultural narratives that maintain gendered sexual expectations (e.g., Chadwick, 2024), the remaining variability in women's orgasm expectations may represent the individual-level of scripting-one's internal, intrapsychic experience negotiating the sociocultural and interpersonal (Simon & Gagnon, 1984, 1986Wiederman, 2015). ...
Research has found that bisexual women expect clitoral stimulation and orgasm more when hypothetically partnered with another woman versus a man, which is consistent with the widely documented heterosexual orgasm gap. The current research aims to (1) investigate “perceived partner orgasm pursuit” (i.e., the participant’s perception that her partner is pursuing her orgasm) as a novel mechanism to explain this difference in orgasm expectations, and (2) demonstrate that manipulating the interpersonal sexual script with a male partner to include sufficient clitoral stimulation can increase orgasm expectations when women have sex with men. In Study 1, we found that bisexual or pansexual women (N = 457) partnered with a woman in a hypothetical scenario expected greater clitoral stimulation, partner pursuit of her orgasm, and likelihood of orgasm than those partnered with a man. In Study 2, bisexual or pansexual women (N = 362) who were partnered with a man in a hypothetical scenario that specified (1) clitoral stimulation or (2) opportunity to orgasm via her most reliable route expected her partner to pursue her orgasm and expected orgasm, at similar rates to women who were partnered with a woman whose sexual behavior was unspecified. On the contrary, women partnered with a man in a hypothetical scenario which specified vaginal intercourse only expected the lowest likelihood of orgasm. In both studies, condition predicted expected clitoral stimulation, which predicted perceived partner orgasm pursuit, which predicted orgasm expectations. This research suggests that sexual scripts explain differences in orgasm expectations by partner gender, and these expectations can be changed by shifting the sexual script at the interpersonal level to include sufficient opportunity for (and pursuit of) women’s orgasm via clitoral stimulation. Findings are discussed in the context of contributors to and solutions for the orgasm gap.
Sexual pleasure is an integral component of sexual health, human rights, and overall wellbeing and can be a helpful lens for understanding the agency and freedom present at the individual, relational, and community level. Further, one's most pleasurable sexual experience can be a pivotal moment that allows for expanded understandings of pleasure and can change how one structures future sexual experiences. It is particularly important to study sexual pleasure among Black women, as much of the sex research on this population is focused on risk and disease and may reinforce harmful stereotypes. This study explored the most pleasurable sexual experiences (MPEs) of 25 Black women living in the Southern United States to understand the main characteristics present in pleasurable sex. Participants were between the ages of 27-44 (M = 29.7 years old). Participants completed semi-structured interviews about their MPEs and responses were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Six interconnected themes were developed: emotional intimacy, out of the ordinary experiences, physical intimacy, intentionality, open communication, and mindful presence. Orgasm was mentioned by only a small portion of study participants. Our findings show that Black women's MPEs are varied and multifaceted, and a deeper understanding of the characteristics present in these experiences provides important information in working toward sexual liberation.
The objective of this study was to provide a better understanding of representations and behaviours related to sexual pleasure and orgasm among women in Dakar, Senegal, measure their frequency, and analyse some of their determinants. We used a mixed methods approach with data being collected from a qualitative sample (N = 10) and a quantitative convenience sample (N = 155). Data were analysed separately and integrated only at the interpretative stage, with equal weight being given to each type of data. As in Western societies, sexual pleasure, satisfaction and orgasm were interconnected among women in Dakar. Quantitative data revealed a pleasure gap similar to that observed in Western societies: 63% of women claimed to orgasm 'often' or 'always' during intercourse. However, closer analysis as well as the discourses elicited indicated that its magnitude could be greater in the general population. Several of the findings indicate how economic factors shape sexual well-being in Dakar, with there being a significant association between socioeconomic status and sexual satisfaction (r(153df)=0.208; p < 0.01). The role of religious prescriptions in respect of women's sexual pleasure remains complex.
Purpose of review: Women's orgasms have been subject to controversial discussions among scholars throughout history. Even today, narratives of women's orgasm being complicated or less important (cp. to men's) for their sexual functioning and satisfaction are prevailing and reflected in gendered sexual scripts. This review aims to compile evidence for the relationship between orgasm and sexual well-being in women. We consider orgasm's role in women's sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, and desire in the context of both casual and committed sexual encounters.
Recent findings: Substantial evidence supports a significant link between orgasm and sexual pleasure, satisfaction, and desire in women. Orgasm has been identified as an important factor in predicting relational satisfaction as well as positive outcomes of casual sex. For instance, orgasming during casual sex completely accounts for the persistent gender differences researchers have observed in emotional and evaluative responses to casual encounters.
Summary: As we cover in this review, there is no shortage of research demonstrating the myriad of favorable physical, psychological, and interpersonal associations with women's orgasms across relational and sexual contexts. Because orgasm has continually surfaced as such a critical component of women's positive sexual experiences, we argue the female orgasm should be taken seriously as a meaningful site of research on women's well-being, and orgasm equality should be taken seriously in the pursuit of gender equality.
Feminist/queer science offers exciting possibilities for psychology and other fields. In this article, we review a set of dynamic principles for feminist/queer science, based in research with gender, sex, and sexuality (gender/sex/uality). There are potentially surprising ways that queer and science overlap for a queer science, and we focus on four: construction, openness, challenge, and multiplicities. There are also meeting points between feminism and science that support a feminist science, and we again focus on four: bias, truth, objectivity, and empiricism. Yet there are a number of challenges to feminist/queer science, including those that are epistemological, empirical, and methodological. We detail these, articulating how feminist/queer science also provides ways to address, sidestep, and move beyond them. Throughout, we articulate how feminist/queer science provides a dynamic and rigorous way forward for psychological science as well as other fields, and we conclude by articulating how it can lead to more empirical, accurate, and just knowledge.
Sexual Medicine Reviews (SMR) is privileged to bring you, our readers, not only outstanding review articles but also cutting-edge theories and concepts for your edification and contemplation. Please enjoy this new concept that may change the way that you think about orgasm and pain.
A prevalent concept of neuronal inhibition in sexual response is that it opposes the effects of neuronal excitation. One model of this concept is the classical arm balance in which excitation and inhibition are on opposite arms of the balance such that when one is up, the other is down.¹ Another such either-or model is that of Bloemers et al: “low sexual desire in women (with HSDD [hypoactive sexual desire disorder]) could be due to either a relative insensitive brain system for sexual cues or to enhanced activity of sexual inhibitory mechanisms.”² A unitary role of inhibition attributed to specific neurotransmitters was emphasized by Georgiadis et al: “the activation of inhibitory pathways for sexual arousal and desire generates a state of reduced sexual wanting.”³ However, as emphasized in the recent article in SMR, the nervous system is actually organized such that the intensity of neuronal inhibition usually increases concurrently with an increase in excitation, thereby attenuating opposing activity and actually enabling the excitation intensity to increase.⁴ This principle is exemplified in the case of even the most basic functions of the nervous system (ie, the spinal reflexes) in which excitation of the simplest reflex, the leg extensor reflex, simultaneously activates inhibition of the antagonistic flexor muscles. Alternatively, excitation of the flexor reflex simultaneously activates inhibition of the antagonistic extensor muscles. Thus, the inhibition enables the excitation to function unopposed by the antagonistic muscles; it also serves to protect the opposing muscles from being torn from their tendon.
To date, there has been very little empirical research on Black women’s masturbation practices and views on masturbation. This study fills the gap by exploring the messages Black women received about masturbation and self-pleasure and the sources of these messages using valence theory. Data were collected in 2021 from 242 Black women who participated in a survey during phase one of the triphasic Big Sex Study. Thematic analysis was used to analyze this short-form qualitative data. Results indicated a range of responses, with mixed messages reported more than negative, positive, and neutral messages. The three primary sources of messages were religion, family, and friends. There were several themes across the valence of messages including the development of positive messages, sexual self-awareness, masturbation as sin, health benefits and consequences, relationship difficulties, devaluation, and masturbation as dirty and gross. These results provide a basis for sexuality professionals to improve sociocultural knowledge about masturbation beliefs, practices, and message sources among Black women.
Introduction
Prevalent models of sexual desire, arousal and orgasm postulate that they result from an excitatory process, whereas disorders of sexual desire, arousal and orgasm result from an inhibitory process based on psychosocial, pharmacological, medical, and other factors. But neuronal excitation and active neuronal inhibition normally interact at variable intensities, concurrently and continuously. We propose herein that in conjunction with neuronal excitation, neuronal inhibition enables the generation of the intense, non-aversive pleasure of orgasm. When this interaction breaks down, pathology can result, as in disorders of sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm, and in anhedonia and pain. For perspective, we review some fundamental behavioral and (neuro-) physiological functions of neuronal excitation and inhibition in normal and pathological processes.
Objectives
To review evidence that the variable balance between neuronal excitation and active neuronal inhibition at different intensities can account for orgasm and its disorders.
Methods
We selected studies from searches on PubMed, Google Scholar, Dialnet, and SciELO for terms including orgasm, neuronal development, Wallerian degeneration, prenatal stress, parental behavior, sensorimotor, neuronal excitation, neuronal inhibition, sensory deprivation, anhedonia, orgasmic disorder, hypoactive sexual desire disorder, persistent genital arousal disorder, sexual pain.
Results
We provide evidence that the intensity of neuronal inhibition dynamically covaries concurrently with the intensity of neuronal excitation. Differences in these relative intensities can facilitate the understanding of orgasm and disorders of orgasm.
Conclusion
Neuronal excitation and neuronal inhibition are normal, continuously active processes of the nervous system that are necessary for survival of neurons and the organism. The ability of genital sensory stimulation to induce concurrent neuronal inhibition enables the stimulation to attain the pleasurable, non-aversive, high intensity of excitation characteristic of orgasm. Excessive or deficient levels of neuronal inhibition relative to neuronal excitation may account for disorders of sexual desire, arousal and orgasm.
Komisaruk BR, Rodriguez del Cerro MC. Orgasm and Related Disorders Depend on Neural Inhibition Combined With Neural Excitation. Sex Med Rev 2022;10:481–492.
The “orgasm gap” refers to the finding that cisgender men, on average, have more orgasms than cisgender women during heterosexual partnered sex. In the current research, we replicated evidence for several orgasm discrepancies across sexual contexts and assessed men’s and women’s perceptions of the orgasm gap. Our sample consisted of 276 heterosexual, cisgender, sexually active undergraduate students (56.52% women; M age = 18.84). We assessed participants’ self-reported orgasm frequencies with a familiar partner, with a new partner, and during masturbation, as well as participants’ perceptions of their partners’ orgasm frequencies. We found evidence for orgasm discrepancies between young men and women within contexts and for women across contexts. Additionally, men perceived the size of the orgasm gap to be smaller than women perceived it to be. We used qualitative analyses to assess participants’ perceptions of driving forces behind the orgasm gap and their responses could be grouped into five overarching themes: Sociocultural Influence, Women’s Orgasm Difficulty, Biology, Men’s Fault, and Interpersonal Communication. This qualitative data can inform education and advocacy efforts focused on improving orgasm outcomes for young women, particularly by disproving prominent biological justifications for orgasm difference and addressing relevant sociocultural concerns. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221076410 .
While previous research has established the existence of an orgasm gap between men and women, research exploring this phenomenon within dyadic samples of mixed-sex couples has been limited. The current study aims to investigate the impact of this orgasm disparity on novel sexual outcomes for couples, including desire and expectation for orgasm. We conducted secondary data analyses on a sample of 104 sexually active mixed-sex couples using an online Qualtrics panel (Mage = 43.9 years; 94.2% heterosexual; 79.3% White). Cisgender men and women within the couple reported on their sexual satisfaction, orgasm frequency, desired orgasm frequency, expectation for how often people should orgasm (“orgasm expectation”), and perceptions of their partner’s orgasm frequency. An orgasm gap emerged, and men significantly underreported the size of the orgasm gap in their relationships. In a dyadic path model, men’s and women’s own orgasm frequency positively predicted their desire and expectation for orgasm. Additionally, women’s orgasm frequency predicted men’s orgasm expectation. This relationship between orgasm frequencies and expectancies may partially explain women’s lower orgasm importance compared to men. A cycle of orgasm inequality within relationships may be perpetuated when women who experience less frequent orgasms lower their desire and expectation for orgasm. Sex educators, activists, and therapists should work to improve entitlement to sexual pleasure and orgasm, particularly for women who wish to increase their orgasm frequency.
Psychological sexual coercion is known to negatively impact those who experience it, yet sexual encounters where orgasm is present are often presumed to be positive and absent of coercion. In the present study, we conducted an online survey with women (n = 179) and men (n = 251) to test associations between sexually coercive experiences that include orgasm and negative psychological, sexual, and relationship outcomes. To do so, we focused on three experiences: having an orgasm during coerced sex (CS), having a coerced orgasm during desired sex (CO), and having a coerced orgasm during coerced sex (COS). Using structural equation modeling, we found that ever having any of these coercion-plus-orgasm experiences with a current partner predicted significantly higher avoidance motivations (i.e., engaging in sex to avoid conflict with one’s partner), which in turn predicted significantly worse psychological distress, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and sexual functioning (but not dyadic sexual desire). We also found that CS, CO, and COS predicted negative outcomes to a similar degree. However, testing gender/sex as a moderator clarified that CS predicted significantly lower sexual satisfaction, sexual functioning, and sexual desire for women but not men. Furthermore, CO predicted faking orgasms in women, but COS predicted faking orgasms in men. Together, results demonstrate that experiencing psychological sexual coercion and/or orgasm coercion is significantly associated with negative outcomes even if the coerced person’s orgasm occurs.
We explored whether women who perceive that their partners’ manhood is precarious (i.e., easily threatened) censor their sexual communication to avoid further threatening their partners’ masculinity. We operationalized women’s perceptions of precarious manhood in a variety of ways: In Study 1, women who made more money than their partners were twice as likely as those who did not to fake orgasms. In Study 2, women’s higher perceptions of partners’ precarious manhood indirectly predicted faking orgasms more, lower sexual satisfaction, and lower orgasms rate through greater anxiety and less honest communication. In Study 3, women who imagined a partner whose masculinity was insecure (vs. secure) were less willing to provide honest sexual communication, via anxiety. Together, the studies demonstrate a relationship between women’s perceptions of partner insecurity, anxiety, sexual communication, and sexual satisfaction.
Trying to ensure that a partner orgasms during sex is generally seen as positive, but research has yet to assess how this might involve pressuring partners to orgasm in coercive ways. In the present study, we tested whether pressuring a partner to orgasm is a coercive behavior by assessing how this behavior overlaps with sexual coercion (i.e., pressuring someone into having sex). Participants of diverse gender/sex and sexual identities (N = 912, M age = 31.31 years, SD = 9.41) completed an online survey that asked them whether they had ever felt pressured by a partner to orgasm, to describe what partners have said or done to pressure them, and to answer a series of questions about the most recent incident in which this occurred. Mixed quantitative and qualitative results showed that orgasm pressure tactics were analogous to sexual coercion tactics and that being pressured to orgasm was associated with experiencing sexual coercion, faking orgasms, and negative psychological and relationship outcomes. Together, findings challenge the assumption that trying to ensure a partner’s orgasm occurrence is necessarily positive and demonstrate that orgasm coercion exists.
Orgasm coercion involves pressuring a partner to orgasm by implying that not orgasming will have negative consequences. In the present study, we used mixed methods to explore (1) how various individual and contextual factors—i.e., frequency of orgasm coercion, orgasm frequency, gender/sex, sexual identity, the orgasm coercion tactics used, and perceptions of the perpetrator’s intention—affect relationship and psychological outcomes associated with orgasm coercion, and (2) how different individuals characterize these outcomes. Cisgender women, cisgender men, and gender/sex minority participants (N = 308, M age = 30.44 years, SD = 8.16) described the most recent encounter in which they experienced orgasm coercion and then rated and described the positive and negative relationship and psychological outcomes associated with the incident. Quantitative results showed that the following predicted significantly higher negative relationship and psychological outcomes: a higher frequency of experiencing orgasm coercion, lower frequency of orgasming with partners in general, and experiencing orgasm coercion via physical or emotional threats. Believing that the perpetrator was motivated by altruism or social pressures mitigated these effects. And, experiencing orgasm coercion via implied fault predicted significantly higher negative relationship outcomes only for cisgender women. Additionally, being a sexual minority predicted higher negative relationship (but not psychological) outcomes, whereas being a gender/sex minority predicted higher negative psychological (but not relationship) outcomes. Qualitative results showed that relationship and psychological outcomes varied; for example, participants discussed making a partner happy, disappointment with their partner’s behaviors, ending the relationship, and lasting feelings of anxiety, guilt, and abuse. Together, findings offer new insights into how orgasm coercion affects those who experience it.
Sexual pleasure has been identifed as a key component of sexual health by the
World Health Organization, yet only 6.5% of articles on Black women’s sexualities
are sex positive. Historically in the United States (US), Black women’s sexualities
have been marked by silence, encouraging Black women to refrain from discussing their sexualities, particularly the positive aspects such as sexual pleasure. The
purpose of the current study was to explore defnitions of and feelings toward sexual
pleasure among (N=206) Black women living in the Southern US using intimate
justice and sex positive frameworks and thematic analysis. Participants identifed
three foundational dimensions of sexual pleasure (1) mental, (2) physical, and (3)
emotional and four facilitators of peak pleasure (1) partnered interactions, (2) liberation, (3) mind-body-soul awareness, and (4) orgasm. Foundational themes and facilitators of peak pleasure are intertwined. For example, a combination of emotional,
mental, and physical themes serves as the foundation of sexual pleasure. However,
the facilitator themes often, but not always, included one or more emotional, mental,
and physical aspects. Overall, 42.2% (n=87) of the quotes included a combination
of foundational themes, meaning two or more were reported in the same quote. Ultimately, Black women defined sexual pleasure in hedonic and eudemonic ways and
had positive feelings about sexual
Drawing from expectancy-value theory, the current study documented expected likelihoods (i.e., expectancies) of orgasm, non-orgasmic sexual pleasure, and emotional closeness during sex with a romantic partner, then tested their causal roles In sexual desire. Participants (N = 582, 50.3% women) were drawn from college student and online samples of young adults in the US. Expectancies were high overall; men reported much higher orgasm expectancies than women and this gender difference was larger in the college sample. Using a within-subjects, factorial experimental design, hypothetical vignettes manipulated participants’ expectancies (high/low) pertaining to sex with a romantic partner. Multilevel models indicated emotional closeness expectancies had the strongest effects on men’s and women’s desire. Orgasm expectancies had stronger effects among the online sample, yet had the weakest effects on desire overall. Both emotional closeness and non-orgasmic pleasure expectancies had stronger effects on women’s desire than on men’s. Findings indicate young adults’ expectations for their romantic sexual experiences may play strong roles in stimulating or stifling their sexual desire, suggesting some desire differences may be partially explained by differences in expectancies, and underscore sex as an important mechanism for fostering intimacy and experiencing pleasure for both young men and young women. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.
Research indicates that men view their women partner’s orgasms as reflections of their masculinity and sexual esteem. The purpose of this study was to examine this phenomenon in more detail by exploring whether men’s feelings of masculinity and sexual esteem, as well as their feelings of accomplishment, were influenced by the method by which their woman partner experienced orgasm. Specifically, 193 young adult men (primarily between the ages of 18 and 24) read one of three vignettes (a partner orgasming from intercourse, from manual/oral stimulation, or from vibrator use) and then rated their imagined feelings of masculinity, accomplishment, and sexual esteem. Findings indicated that men who imagined their partner orgasmed from intercourse or manual/oral stimulation had higher feelings of masculinity and accomplishment than those who imagined their partner orgasmed from a vibrator. We found a significant interaction between clitoral knowledge and vignette condition in predicting masculinity, with clitoral knowledge only predicting masculinity for men in the manual/oral stimulation condition. The results of this study have important implications for sex education and the prevention of sexual problems, as well as for the future study of positive sexual functioning in women and men.
Objective: Various sources of evidence suggest that men and women differ in their experience of sexual pleasure. Such gender differences have been attributed to men’s higher innate sex drive, supported by evolutionary psychology perspectives and gender differences in reproductive strategies.
Method: This paper presents biopsychosocial evidence for gender similarities in the capacity to experience pleasure, and for substantial gender differences in opportunities for sexual pleasure.
Results: We conclude that sexual activity, in most cultures, is less pleasurable and associated with greater cost for heterosexual women than for heterosexual men, even though they do not differ in the capacity for sexual pleasure.
Conclusion: Since gender differences in experienced sexual pleasure are not a biological given, a more critical discourse of sexual pleasure might create awareness of current inequalities, help lift restrictions for women’s opportunities for pleasure, and could reduce gender differences in the cost of sex. That would truly serve sexual justice around the globe.
Objective
Sexual activity is a fundamental human function with short-term and long-term emotional, social, and physical benefits. Yet within healthcare, sexuality has been marginalized and many HCPs are unaware of its beneficial implications for immediate and long-term health.
Methods
To challenge this assumption we combined the data that already had been collected by the authors with an extensive search of articles on the various health benefits of sexual activity. The results of this process are displayed according to short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term benefits with some explanation about potential causal relationships.
Results
For the time being, it cannot yet be proved that “good sex promotes good health” since good health also favors good sex.
Conclusions
Despite lacking such convincing evidence, the article concludes with recommendations for the relevant professions. The balance of research supports that sexuality anyhow deserves greater attention among HCPs and that sexuality research needs better integration within health research.
Low sexual desire in women partnered with men is typically presumed to be a problem—one that exists in women and encourages a research agenda on causation and treatment targeting women. In this paper, we present a distinct way forward for research on low sexual desire in women partnered with men that attends to a more structural explanation: heteronormativity. A heteronormative worldview assumes that relationships and structures are heterosexual, gender (usually conflated with sex) is binary and complementary, and gender roles fit within narrow bounds including nurturant labor for women. We propose the heteronormativity theory of low sexual desire in women partnered with men, arguing that heteronormative gender inequities are contributing factors. We outline four hypotheses and their predictions related to: inequitable divisions of household labor, blurring of partner and mother roles, objectification of women, and gender norms surrounding sexual initiation. We discuss some mechanisms—social, physiological, and otherwise—for the heteronormativity theory, especially related to stress, objectification, and nurturance. We close by noting some limitations of our paper and the ways that the heteronormativity theory of low sexual desire in women partnered with men provides a rigorous, generative, and empirical way forward.
We investigated the relationship between Brazilian women’s reported reasons for pretending orgasm, their performance of mate retention behaviors, and their relationship satisfaction. Additionally, we secured evidence of the validity and reliability of a Brazilian-Portuguese adaptation of the Reasons to Pretend Orgasm Inventory (RPOI). Participants were 295 Brazilian women in a heterosexual relationship ( M age = 24.9 years, SD age = 5.4 years). Participants completed a Brazilian-Portuguese adaptation of the Mate Retention Inventory-Short Form, and the translated RPOI (the Escala de Razões para Fingir Orgasmo; ERFO). The resulting 47-item ERFO represents well the original 63-item RPOI. The frequency with which Brazilian women pretend orgasm was negatively associated with their relationship satisfaction. Our sample size may not be sufficient to detect small effects. In addition, due to the exploratory nature of the study, the results should be interpreted with caution and future research may attempt to replicate these findings with larger samples and in other countries.
Thematic analysis (TA) is widely used in qualitative psychology. In using TA, researchers must choose between a diverse range of approaches that can differ considerably in their underlying (but often implicit) conceptualizations of qualitative research, meaningful knowledge production, and key constructs such as themes, as well as analytic procedures. This diversity within the method of TA is typically poorly understood and rarely acknowledged, resulting in the frequent publication of research lacking in design coherence. Furthermore, because TA offers researchers something closer to a method (a transtheoretical tool or technique) rather than a methodology (a theoretically informed framework for research), one with considerable theoretical and design flexibility, researchers need to engage in careful conceptual and design thinking to produce TA research with methodological integrity. In this article, we support researchers in their conceptual and design thinking for TA, and particularly for the reflexive approach we have developed, by guiding them through the conceptual underpinnings of different approaches to TA, and key design considerations. We outline our typology of three main “schools” of TA—coding reliability, codebook, and reflexive—and consider how these differ in their conceptual underpinnings, with a particular focus on the distinct characteristics of our reflexive approach. We discuss key areas of design—research questions, data collection, participant/data item selection strategy and criteria, ethics, and quality standards and practices—and end with guidance on reporting standards for reflexive TA.
The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of sexual behaviors and experiences of Black women's partnered behaviors at their most recent sexual event. Data were from a subset of 980 Black women ages 18 to 92 who participated in the 2018 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. Findings provide a sex-positive view of Black women and their partnered experiences, indicating a range of activities; most wanted their sexual experiences, experienced orgasms, and reported pleasurable experiences. These results provide a foundation for sexual health practitioners, educators, and therapists to improve societal knowledge about Black women's sexuality.
Previous research revealed a gap in orgasm frequency between men and women, with women orgasming less frequently than men. Because female orgasms are rooted partially in psychological origins, this gap may be partly explained by sociocultural factors. Utilizing sexual satisfaction as an outcome measure and orgasm frequency as a mediator, we surveyed 1043 women about a multitude of factors to determine the relationship between sociocultural factors, orgasm frequency and sexual satisfaction. Because women may orgasm in different frequencies depending on context, we measured four different orgasm variables: orgasm with self (masturbation), orgasm with a familiar partner, orgasm with a new partner, and multiple orgasm frequency. Factors such as sexual orientation, sexual shame, sexual pride, sexual assertiveness, sexual attitudes (related to permissiveness, birth control and communion), endorsement of traditional gender roles, and endorsement of the sexual double standard were correlated with female orgasm frequency within different contexts. The only orgasm variable that predicted sexual satisfaction was orgasm with a familiar partner, indicating that not all orgasms can predict sexual satisfaction. Overall, sexual assertiveness was the variable that positively correlated with and predicted orgasm frequency in almost all contexts as well as sexual satisfaction. This indicates that socializing women to be more sexually assertive could potentially lead to more frequent orgasms and greater sexual satisfaction. The findings of this study can be used to bridge the orgasm gap between men and women, and in general help women in curating better and more positive sexual encounters.
Introduction
Few studies have investigated women's experiences with orgasm and the factors that they cite as important for their orgasmic function and sexual behavior related to foreplay and sexual stimulation.
Aim
To investigate and describe overall sexual function in a cohort of North American women, with a special focus on orgasmic function, satisfaction, triggers, risk factors, and sexual behavior.
Methods
A total of 303 women aged 18–75 years completed a 100-questionnaire survey, which included the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and questions on orgasmic function, duration of sexual activity, sexual behaviors and relationship, and the partner’s sexual function. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS to illuminate factors affecting sexual function.
Outcomes
The main outcome measures are FSFI score, satisfaction with sexual life, ability to reach orgasm, orgasm frequency, preferred sexual stimulation, and sexual habits.
Results
FSFI scores, which were calculated for the 230 women who reported having had a steady male sex partner in the preceding 6 months, showed that 41% of the 230 women were at risk for female sexual dysfunction (a cutoff less than 26.55) and 21% were dissatisfied with their overall sexual life. Almost 90% of the overall cohort reported good emotional contact with their partner, that their partner was willing to have sex, satisfaction with the partner’s penis size (wherever applicable), and good erectile function and ejaculatory control of their partner (wherever applicable). 81% of the overall cohort claimed to be sexually active. Around 70% (70–72) did reach orgasm frequently, but around 10% never did so. Vaginal intercourse was reported by 62% of the overall cohort as the best trigger of orgasm, followed by external stimulation from the partner (48%) or themselves (37%). External stimulation was reported to be the fastest trigger to orgasm.
Clinical Implications
The knowledge on how women reach orgasm and how it is related to the partners' willingness to have sex and other factors can be incorporated in the clinical work.
Strengths & Limitations
The use of a validated questionnaire and the relative large number of participants are strengths of the study. Limitations are the cross-sectional design, the lack of a sexual distress measure, and a possible selection bias.
Conclusion
Most women in the overall cohort were satisfied overall with their sexual life and partner-related factors, even though 41% (of those who cited a steady sex male partner) were at risk for female sexual dysfunction. Most women did reach orgasm through different kinds of stimulation. Correlation was good between preferred and performed sexual activities and positions.
Shaeer O, Skakke D, Giraldi A, et al. Female Orgasm and Overall Sexual Function and Habits: A Descriptive Study of a Cohort of U.S. Women. J Sex Med 2020;XX:XXX–XXX.
The current study examined whether reading the chapter titled “Cliteracy for Him” from the book Becoming Cliterate is an effective intervention for increasing young heterosexual men’s sexual functioning. Specifically, this study compared an intervention group (i.e., those who read the chapter) to a waitlist control group at three points in time: before reading the chapter, immediately after reading the chapter, and three weeks later. Outcome measures included clitoral knowledge, sexual self-esteem, sexual depression, communication during sexual activity, and dysfunctional beliefs about sexuality (e.g., beliefs about women’s satisfaction, about being “macho,” and sexual conservatism). Participants who read the bibliotherapy chapter showed immediate improvement on clitoral knowledge, dysfunctional beliefs about women’s sexual satisfaction, and sexual communication. Longer-term improvements were found on clitoral knowledge, and dysfunctional beliefs about both women’s sexual satisfaction and being “macho.” Additionally, compared to the waitlist control group, men in the intervention group demonstrated better sexual communication and fewer dysfunctional beliefs about women’s sexual satisfaction immediately after reading the chapter, and more clitoral knowledge, fewer dysfunctional beliefs about women’s sexual satisfaction, fewer dysfunctional macho beliefs, and lower sexual depression three weeks after reading the chapter. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.
Purpose of Review
Studies have consistently found that there is a gendered orgasm gap, with men experiencing orgasm more frequently than women in heterosexual sexual encounters. This literature review aims to highlight the current state of research on orgasm equality and to explore the reasons underlying this orgasm gap.
Recent Findings
Our review of recently published studies indicates that the gendered orgasm gap still exists today. Additionally, these studies underscore how sociocultural factors can contribute to the differences in reported orgasm frequency between men and women in heterosexual encounters.
Summary
This review suggests that our cultural prioritization of penile-vaginal intercourse over more clitorally focused sexual activities is linked to the gendered orgasm gap. Additional related contributing sociocultural factors may include women’s lack of entitlement to partnered sexual pleasure, societal scripts about masculinity, and women’s cognitive distractions during partnered sex. Recommendations to increase orgasm equality are discussed.
Young women’s understanding of their own sexuality has increasingly been acknowledged as an important component of their sexual health. The Female Sexual Subjectivity Inventory (FSSI) was developed to measure five distinct factors of young women’s experiences of sexual pleasure and empowerment. No studies have explicitly evaluated the association between FSSI scores and clinical sexual health outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of women to assess the association between FSSI factors and the occurrence of three clinical sexual health outcomes in the prior 12 months: acquisition of an STI, unwanted pregnancy, or taking emergency contraception (Plan B). We also assessed the association between FSSI scores and self-reported orgasm frequency during partnered sexual activity. We used multivariate logistic regression models to estimate associations. Finally, we used the FSSI scale in a novel way to identify a population of women who are discordant on their levels of entitlement to pleasure from a partner and self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure. We did not find any statistically significant associations between mean score on any of the FSSI factors and clinical sexual health outcomes of interest in the prior year. We found that all FSSI factors except Sexual Self-Reflection were positively associated with increased orgasm frequency. Our study underscores the validity of the FSSI as a measure to assess psychosocial constructs relevant to young women’s ability to experience sexual pleasure with a partner and introduces a novel way to use the scale to assess the development of women’s sexual subjectivity.
There is a persistent gender difference in how positively young adults react to casual sex, with men reporting slightly more positive responses than women. Multiple factors have been studied as possible explanations for the gender difference, but nothing has completely accounted the variance between women and men's responses to casual sex. Although prior research identifies sexual pleasure as a primary factor associated with positive responses, women and men may understand or report on this construct differently due to gendered socialization, making it difficult to compare responses across groups. One measure that is less subject to subjective interpretation or response bias may be whether a person orgasms during a given casual sex encounter. In the present research, we test the relationships between gender, orgasm, and reactions following most recent casual sex encounter across three samples of young adults. Results indicate that orgasm mediates the gender difference in how positively participants respond to casual sex. Specifically, men are more likely to orgasm during casual sex, and people who orgasm during casual sex are more likely to experience positive reactions afterwards. Therefore, while gender may be one way to describe the discrepancy in how positive people feel following casual sex, orgasm explains it.
Introduction:
Although much research has examined correlates of pain during sex, far less research has examined why women have sex despite having pain and why they avoid telling their partner.
Aim:
The purpose of our study was to examine women's reports of painful sex, including location of pain, whether they told their partner, factors associated with not disclosing their pain, and their reasons for not disclosing.
Methods:
We used data from the 2018 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, a probability-based online survey of 2,007 individuals ages 14 to 49 years. We limited our sample to adult women who reported a sexual experience that was painful in the past year (n = 382; 23.2%). The primary outcome in quantitative analyses was whether women told their partner they experienced pain during sex. Associations with social identities and sexual health were explored via logistic regression. Those who did not tell their partner about painful sex were asked why; their accounts were coded and analyzed qualitatively.
Main outcome measure:
Women were asked, "To what extent was this sexual experience physically painful for you?" Those who reported any pain were asked, "Did you tell your partner that you were in pain during sex?" and, if applicable, "Why didn't you tell your partner that you were in pain during sex?"
Results:
Of those reporting pain during sex, most said it was "a little painful" (81.6%) and occurred at the vaginal entrance (31.5%), inside the vagina (34.4%), or at or around the cervix (17.4%). Overall, 51.0% (n = 193/382) told their partner about their pain. Adjusting for age and wantedness, women who reported little or no event-level sexual pleasure had nearly 3-fold greater odds of not telling a partner about painful sex (adjusted odds ratio = 3.24; 95% CI, 1.43-7.37). Normalizing painful sex, considering pain to be inconsequential, prioritizing the partner's enjoyment, and gendered interactional pressures were the predominant themes in women's narratives.
Clinical implications:
Providers should ask about painful sex, if the woman continues intercourse despite pain, and how she feels about this as a means of assessing any sexual and social pressures.
Strengths & limitations:
Strengths include the use of social theory in nationally representative survey research to examine how contextual factors influence sexual health, but experiences were largely limited to heterosexual interactions.
Conclusion:
Many women do not discuss painful sex with their partners, lack of pleasure is significantly more likely among this group, and gender norms and cultural scripts are critical to understanding why. Carter A, Ford JV, Luetke M, et al. "Fulfilling His Needs, Not Mine": Reasons for Not Talking About Painful Sex and Associations with Lack of Pleasure in a Nationally Representative Sample of Women in the United States. J Sex Med 2019; XX:XXX-XXX.
This article provides a review and visualization of findings over the last 30 years related to the orgasm gap between men and women in heterosexual encounters. We describe and compare techniques commonly used for measuring orgasm occurrence and frequency patterns, and we summarize the contrast in orgasm rates shown in these studies across different behavior sets and social contexts. Of central importance, women’s orgasm rates increase dramatically with the inclusion of behaviors that provide specific stimulation to the clitoris, revealing this gap is largely driven by social dynamics rather than strictly biological mechanisms. Disparities between men and women are especially pronounced in
contexts with low levels of partnered sexual experience, partner familiarity, and relationship commitment. Women are also more likely to experience orgasm when masturbating or partnered with women than when partnered with men. Ultimately, we echo calls for a biopsychosocial approach to sexual enjoyment and well-being, and we provide recommendations for future research, including increased precision in measurement and reporting, diversifying sampling concentrations, and assessing life course
trajectories.
Orgasm gaps between heterosexual men and women, and for women across sexual orientations, are well-established in research. However, no large-scale assessments of orgasm frequency by race/ethnicity exist. Here, we analyzed 10 years of cross-sectional Singles in America survey data between 2011 and 2021 to investigate the orgasm gap at the intersection of gender and racial/ethnic identity (i.e. White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian) for heterosexual participants (N = 27,347). White and Hispanic/Latino men reported greater orgasm frequency than Black and Asian men. Hispanic/Latino women reported the greatest orgasm frequency, and Asian women reported the lowest, with White and Black women's frequencies in between. The orgasm gap between men and women was largest for White (d = 0.89) and Asian (d = 0.86) groups, although Asian participants reported a lower orgasm frequency than White participants overall. The orgasm gap was smaller for Hispanic/Latino participants (d = 0.66), because Hispanic/Latino women reported a greater orgasm frequency than other racial/ethnic groups of women. The orgasm gap was smaller for Black participants (d = 0.61), because Black men reported a lower orgasm frequency than some other racial/ethnic groups of men. This descriptive study serves as an important starting point for future research on orgasm experiences across racial/ethnic groups.
Heterosexual university students continue to endorse sexual scripts that preference men's desire and sustain gendered power imbalances in sexual relationships and encounters, leading women to risk pregnancy by engaging in unprotected sex. Because young women also endorse norms encouraging them to protect themselves and their partners from unintended pregnancy, women are caught in a bind between two often competing norms. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with university women (n = 45) to examine how they navigate these competing norms. We found that women explained risky contraceptive decisions by saying they "just weren't thinking," thus employing strategic ambiguity, or vague language used to maintain social status, to navigate between competing norms. Our findings suggest that women were actually thinking about risks and making calculated decisions in the moment which often privileged men, putting themselves at risk and sometimes causing distress. To save face, women presented the idea that they "just weren't thinking" in different ways that conformed to traditional notions of romance and sexuality: being in the moment, love and trust for their partner, and deferring to the perceived or actual wishes of men. We conclude that there is a need to promote and achieve affirmative sexuality which includes women feeling empowered to express their own sexual needs - whether that be consent or refusal, contraception, pleasure, or all of these.
A retrospective study of abortion facilities in and around Texas by White et al.¹ and a spatial analysis by Rader et al.² are combined to illustrate the detrimental effects of abortion bans enacted in the United States.
In a confidential U.S. nationally representative survey of 2,525 adults (1300 women, 1225 men), we examined participants’ event-level sexual behaviors, predictors of pleasure and orgasm, and perceived actual and ideal duration of sex, by gender and age. Event-level kissing, cuddling, vaginal intercourse, and oral sex were prevalent. Sexual choking was more prevalent among adults under 40. While women and men reported a similar actual duration of sex, men reported a longer ideal duration. Participants with same-sex partners reported a longer ideal duration than those with other-sex partners. Finally, findings show that gendered sexual inequities related to pleasure and orgasm persist.
Existing conceptualizations and measures of good sex are varied and inconclusive. Additionally, few studies have defined good sex from the margins, thus definitions are primarily informed from privileged perspectives. People with marginalized racial, gender, and sexual identities can offer culturally informed definitions of good sex that may expand current definitions. This study fills that gap by identifying factors that constitute good sex among Black people with diverse sexual and gender identities. Data were collected from 448 Black individuals who participated in an online Qualtrics survey with demographic, open-ended, and scaled questions. Results indicate a range of descriptors that align with existing sexual wellness literature and include the top 20 words to describe good sex as well as the top 10 words for demographics of interest. Differences in most frequent descriptors based on gender and sexual identities are reported. These results provide a foundation for sexual health practitioners, educators, and therapists to improve societal knowledge about what constitutes good sex among Black people.
Orgasm coercion occurs when someone pressures a partner to orgasm by implying that not orgasming will have negative consequences. But what happens when the coerced partner refuses to go along with orgasm coercion? And how do perpetrators of orgasm coercion react? In the current study, we analysed 100 participants’ (cisgender women, n = 66; cisgender men, n = 24; gender/sex minorities, n = 10) descriptions of refusing orgasm coercion during their most recent orgasm coercion encounter. We assessed how participants expressed refusals, perpetrators reacted to these refusals, and perpetrator reactions connected to relationship and psychological outcomes. Results showed that participants used a variety of refusal strategies that were positively- or negatively-valenced. Some perpetrators (31%) reacted in positive, understanding ways. However, most perpetrators (61%) reacted negatively or with more coercion when confronted. Of note, results suggested that whether perpetrators responded in positive vs. negative ways did not depend on participants’ refusal strategies. We also found that positive perpetrator reactions were associated with positive relationship outcomes, but participants reported high negative psychological outcomes regardless of perpetrators’ reactions. Findings support that perpetrators of orgasm coercion are not necessarily invested in partners’ positive experiences and that orgasm coercion cannot be resolved through better communication.
Gender differences in sexuality have gained considerable attention both within and outside of the scientific community. We argue that one of the main unacknowledged reasons for these differences is simply that women experience substantially worse sex than men do. Thus, in examinations of the etiology of gender differences in sexuality, a confound has largely been unacknowledged: Women and men are treated to different experiences of what is called “sexuality” and “having sex.” We discuss four arenas in which women’s experience of sexuality may often be worse than men’s: (a) anatomical differences, (b) sexual violence, (c) stigma, and (d) masculine cultures of sexuality. Then we consider how each disparity might explain well-known gender differences in sexuality.
Gender differences in experience of first intercourse are among the largest in sexuality research, with women recalling less pleasure and satisfaction than men. This "enjoyment gap" has not been considered in explanations of gender differences in sexual desire. Yet, reinforcement and incentive learning features prominently in recent models of women's sexual desire, and nonhuman animal models demonstrate their impact at sexual debut. We examined whether women's lower sexual desire is explained by their gender or by gendered experience of enjoyment at sexual debut. Emerging adults (N = 838) provided retrospective accounts of physical (orgasm) and affective (satisfaction) enjoyment at (hetero)sexual debut. We replicated gender differences across behavioral, general, and multidimensional measures of trait sexual desire; however, they were contingent on experience and measurement method. When its cognitive multidimensional properties were appreciated, women's sexual desire varied with experience of orgasm at sexual debut and diverged from men's only when orgasm did not occur. Such effects were not observed for satisfaction, nor for men. Nor did effects of a control event - masturbatory debut - extend beyond solitary sexual desire. Findings underscore the importance of orgasm equality, and suggest its absence at sexual debut may play an unacknowledged role in differentiating sexual desire.
This study provides a quantitative examination of gender-based mass shootings in America from 1966-2018. Gender-based mass shootings refer to attacks motivated by grievances against women, divided into four categories based on a specific woman or women in general, as well as whether they directly target the source of their grievances. Findings indicate that specific woman-targeted shooters were the most common and significantly different from their counterparts in their domestic violence history, racial diversity, and engagement in spree attacks. When comparing all gender-based attacks against other mass shootings, significant differences include relationship status, children, domestic violence history, substance abuse history, and suicide. This investigation provides implications for gender and mass shooting scholars, as well as practitioners developing strategies for intervention and prevention.
The aim of this article was to conduct a rapid critical review of the literature about the relationship between violence against women (VAW) and the current COVID-19 pandemic.
After the screening process, a total of 42 articles were considered. Our review confirmed that the “stay at home” policies to contrast the pandemic have increased the problem of VAW, creating a “shadow pandemic within the pandemic”, as it was called by the United Nations. However, rigorous studies estimating the relationship between VAW and COVID-19 pandemic are scarce; most of the articles are commentaries, letters, editorials, and most of the published data derives from social media, internet, anecdotal evidence and helplines reports.
Health care systems should promote further investigations into the relation between VAW and COVID-19, to identify creative solutions to provide clinical care and forensic services for victims of VAW.
Faking orgasm has been identified as a common practice among women and feminist scholars have probed the connections between the socio-cultural meanings associated with faking and heterosex. Expanding on this line of inquiry, feigning sexual pleasure was explored in interviews with 14 women who reported having sex with men. Using a feminist critical discourse analytic approach, we attend to the dilemma that was frequently evoked in women’s accounts. Participants explained that feigning sexual pleasure was done in order to protect their partners’ ego. However, participants also talked about faking orgasm as being problematic in the sense that it was “deceitful” and “dishonest”. These contrasting discursive patterns created a dilemma whereby faking was situated as “necessary” but “dishonest”. As a way of negotiating this dilemma, participants made a distinction between exaggerating sexual pleasure and faking orgasm. We posit that exaggeration can be interpreted as a form of material (during the sexual encounter) and discursive (during accounting of the encounter) disruption of dominant discourses of heterosex such as the orgasmic imperative. Drawing on Annamarie Jagose’s and Hannah Frith’s problematizations of the prevailing tendency to position orgasm as either “authentic” or “fake”, we discuss women’s negotiation of the limited constructions of “real” pleasure.
Men reported a sense of themselves as uniquely gifted and skilled in their ability to induce orgasm, and as such believed they owed a responsibility. However, men’s own pleasure remained absent in these narratives. Men reported that receiving praise served as their motivation for focusing on their partner’s orgasm. For many men, sexual performance worked as an act of compensatory masculinity, making up for other areas of their lives where they believed themselves to fall short. Many of the men in this inquiry espoused a belief in a highly sexual identity, and couched their masculinity in terms of it. Outside partnerships functioned as an outlet to perform that identity and reaffirm themselves as “men.”
Part of identity development involves the construction of a sexual self. Sexual selves are constructed based on interactions with others. Based on in-depth interviews with 59 heterosexual men between the ages of 30 and 59, I look at the way research participants defined heterosexual men’s desirability through their framing of their sexual selves. I show how participants’ stories revealed a link between desirability and masculinity for heterosexual men in U.S. culture. Moreover, I find that consistent with narratives of hegemonic masculinity, men were concerned with proving their desirability and hetero-masculinity through what I call “evidentiary stories.” These stories focused on men’s telling of how they were seen by others or in other contexts, with such accounts serving as evidence of their desirability. Through these stories, men constructed sexual selves that met (or failed to meet) dominant narratives of hetero-masculine desirability. In so doing, men also participated in the construction of a hierarchy of desirability among heterosexual men, underscoring the idea that certain men are more sought-after or valued than others—both by women partners and others at large.
The main objective of this study was to determine the predictive capacity of different variables, organized based on Ecological theory (i.e., personal, interpersonal, social, and ideological), in the intensity of the subjective orgasm experience within the context of heterosexual relationships. The sample was composed of 1,300 adults (547 men, 753 women). The proposed model for men showed that more intense subjective orgasm experience was predicted by age, sexual sensations seeking, sexual satisfaction, and partner-focused sexual desire. The model for women showed that more intense subjective orgasm experience was predicted by age, erotophilia, sexual sensation seeking, partner-focused sexual desire, and sexual satisfaction.
Heterosexual women's low orgasm rates are widely acknowledged within sexuality research. However, researchers have not accounted for whether women are even pursuing orgasm (actively and purposefully attempting to orgasm) in their sexual encounters with men. Given that heterosexual sexual scripts often deprioritize women's pleasure, women may vary in their orgasm goal pursuit – whether they set orgasm as a goal and strive to have an orgasm – in any given sexual encounter, with some women being less likely to pursue orgasm than others. Across two studies, we investigated the association between women's orgasm goal pursuit and orgasm occurrence. By examining the variations in women's orgasm goal pursuit, we aimed to explain why some women orgasm in their sexual encounters and other women do not. Women who reported greater orgasm pursuit were more likely to report that they orgasmed in their most recent sexual encounter. These findings suggest that researchers should not assume that women equally pursue orgasm in their sexual encounters, and that this important individual difference can help explain differences in orgasm occurrence between women.