More
and more studies are shedding light on the "orgasm gap," which refers
to how men orgasm during sex more frequently than women.
But why does this gender gap exist, and what can be done to achieve orgasm equality? After all, about 40% of women experience sexual dysfunction, associated with a chronic difficulty in achieving orgasm.
Experts are offering some answers.
"All
groups of men -- gay, bisexual, heterosexual -- orgasm more than all
groups of women," said David Frederick, assistant professor of
psychology at Chapman University, who has studied human sexuality.
"Lesbian
women orgasm more often than heterosexual women but less often than
men," he said. "What makes women orgasm is the focus of pretty intense
speculation.
Every month, dozens of magazines and online articles
highlight different ways to help women achieve orgasm more easily. It is
the focus of entire books. For many people, orgasm is an important part
of sexual relationships."
The ancient evolutionary origin of the elusive female orgasm
The reason for the orgasm gap could be sociocultural or evolutionary, Frederick said.
"Women
have higher body dissatisfaction than men, and it interferes with their
sex life more. This can impact sexual satisfaction and ability to
orgasm if people are focusing more on these concerns than on the sexual
experience," he said.
"There
is more stigma against women initiating sex and expressing what they
want sexually," he said, adding, "one thing we know is that in many
couples, there is a desire discrepancy: One partner wants sex more often
than the other. In heterosexual couples, that person is usually the
man."
Therefore, a woman
might engage in sex with her partner when she isn't necessarily in the
mood, and then she may be less likely to orgasm, Frederick said.
Where's my orgasm?
There
is also the idea that male orgasm helps facilitate reproduction, as it
is invariably required for ejaculation. For women, however, there is no
clear tie between orgasm and reproduction, Frederick said.
"But millions of years ago, there might have been," he added.
"One
theory is that in ancestors of humans, orgasm occurred more easily
because its function was to cause ovulation to occur. This happens in
many animals," Frederick said.
"Once the monthly menstrual cycle began
regulating ovulation, orgasm was no longer coupled with reproduction for
women. This allowed ability and ease of orgasm becoming more variable
in women over millions of years and is why orgasm frequency is much more
variable in women than in men."
Why men might underestimate women's sex drive
Some
women might be anatomically predisposed to regularly orgasm, said
Elisabeth Lloyd, a professor of biology and philosophy at Indiana
University-Bloomington who co-authored a study about genital anatomy and
orgasm in intercourse.
A
shorter distance between the clitoris and the urinary opening, where
urine is released, may increase a woman's likelihood to orgasm,
according to the study, published in the journal Hormones and Behavior in 2011.
Lloyd
analyzed data from two studies on the relationship between anatomy and
orgasm in women with her co-author Kim Wallen, a professor of psychology
and behavioral neuroendocrinology at Emory University.
Why some make so much noise during sex
"We
found that the distance between the clitoris and the urinary opening,
which is called CUMD, indicates whether or not a woman is inclined to
have an orgasm with intercourse or not, and if it's below 2 centimeters,
then she likely is going to have an orgasm with intercourse," Lloyd
said.
"If it's above, if
it's around 3, then she's likely not going to have an orgasm with
intercourse," she said. "Those were our findings, that have since been
confirmed through other tests.
So what that means is that if a woman
doesn't have an orgasm from intercourse, it's not her fault or it's not
his fault. It's not anybody's fault. It likely has to do with her
anatomy."
For
a woman with such anatomy to achieve orgasm, Lloyd recommended trying
"manual stimulation of the clitoris during intercourse."
She
added that studying orgasm frequency remains an important area of
research since orgasms have been linked to greater satisfaction with
personal relationships.
"Women
who have better sexual relationships with their partners also have more
satisfied relationships in general, and it improves the quality of
their relationships," Lloyd said. "So in general, a better sex life
leads to a better relationship, which leads to a better sex life. It's
kind of circular."
CNN.
No comments: