The orgasm gap between men and women may also be affected by the gender of their sexual partner, new research has found.
The orgasm gap refers to a disparity in the frequency of orgasms experienced between heterosexual men and women during sexual encounters. Previous research has consistently shown that men are more likely to achieve orgasm during sexual activity compared to women.
Now, according to a new paper in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, women are more likely to expect clitoral stimulation and orgasm when having sex with a woman than with a man.
"This research contributes to understanding gender disparities and inequities. It also sheds light on why the orgasm gap exists—specifically, how different expectations for sex with men and women can explain these differences," study co-author Grace Wetzel, a social psychology researcher at Rutgers University, said in a statement.
In a 2017 study of over 50,000 people, 95 percent of heterosexual men said they usually or always orgasm when having sex, compared to only 65 percent of heterosexual women.
The study reveals that women have different expectations for sex depending on the gender of their partner, being more likely to expect an orgasm with a woman and, therefore, being more likely to pursue an orgasm via clitoral stimulation.
Most women say that they require at least some degree of clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm: between 70 and 90 percent of women cannot orgasm from penetrative sex alone.
Therefore, when having sex with a woman, women were found to be more likely to actively pursue orgasm themselves.
This backs up research from 2006 that found that women are more likely to orgasm when sleeping with women than men, with 64 percent of bisexual women saying that they usually or always orgasm when having sex with women.
This suggests that expectations from sex vary with partner gender, and may explain why women are less likely to orgasm when having sex with men.
"If women, or men partnered with women, want to increase their own or their partners' orgasm, they should create an environment that encourages orgasm pursuit through diverse sex acts, particularly those involving clitoral stimulation," study lead author Kate Dickman, a recent graduate of Rutgers University, said in the statement.
The authors note that while this study may be interpreted as saying that sex with men is worse than with women, that isn't the case; rather, they're highlighting the scripts and expectations that come with heterosexual sex.
"The problem is not inherent to men or to being heterosexual, but to the dominant sexual scripts associated with heterosexual sex. Sexual scripts are flexible and can be changed," Wetzel explains.
Additionally, they stress that there is more to sexual intimacy than achieving orgasm.
"This study is just one piece of a larger conversation about gender disparities," Dickman said. "Orgasm is just one aspect of sexual satisfaction, and this research should not be misinterpreted as suggesting that orgasm is the sole measure of a fulfilling sexual experience."
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