If you're a straight woman, you most likely know about the stark "orgasm gap" between the sexes (along with people of different sexual orientations). It's common knowledge that heterosexual women are far less likely to orgasm through intercourse than men, which can no doubt be explained, at least in part, by a dearth of education and understanding of female pleasure.
So, the findings of a new study on the topic might surprise some men. We don't need to tell you that clitoral stimulation is key for many women during sex, but the research, published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, highlights just how important it is.
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Researchers polled more than 1,000 women aged 18 to 94 in the US, and just 18% said intercourse was enough for them to orgasm, while 9% said they didn't orgasm through sex at all. An equal proportion said they needed clitoral stimulation to orgasm during sex (36%) as those who said that while they could orgasm without it, it enhanced the experience (36%).
The study also suggested there's no one "right" way to please a woman in bed. No shit, Sherlock. Participants were asked to rank their favourite ways of receiving stimulation and there was "considerable diversity in genital touch preferences". Nearly 64% said they preferred to be touched in an up-and-down motion, while 50% preferred circular motions and almost a third favouring side-to-side touch.
"The study results challenge the mistaken, but common, notion that there are universal 'sex moves that work' for everyone," said the study's author, Brian Dodge, associate professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.
He continued: "On the other hand, the data also make clear that there are certain styles of touch that are more commonly preferred by women, emphasising the value of studying sexual pleasure - and not just sexual problem," reported the Independent. If the study tells us anything, it's the importance of communicating exactly what you want during sex. Yeah, it's obvious – but it works.