Heterosexual women who set orgasm as a goal more likely to attain it

Orgasm is more likely for women who pursue it as a goal, but is also tied-in with whether encounters are expected to be ‘quick’ or if a partner seems selfish. On average, heterosexual women have less frequent orgasms than their male partners during sex, something known as the “orgasm gap.” Writing in The Journal of Sex Research, authors noted that about 95% of heterosexual men report usually or always experiencing orgasm, compared to only 65% of heterosexual women. Studies have also shown that women tend to “experience orgasm more frequently in the context of a relationship than during casual sex, and orgasm frequency increases the more familiar the sexual partner becomes.” The researchers noted that orgasm is not always the route to a sexually satisfying experience. A study was conducted investigating the role of pursuing the goal of reaching orgasm (‘goal pursuit research’). A goal of pursuing orgasm can make it more likely in women who want to have more orgasms, in that they can pursue strategies to help attain that goal – including asking for more help from their partner. A total of 198 heterosexual subjects were recruited for the study, with 50.5% being women. The remainder were men. They had a mean age of 33.7 years. Demographic information were attained and participants were asked about orgasm experiences in a series of surveys, which also included some hypothetical sexual encounters and open-ended questions. The study included factors such as being tired, time constraints, distraction, pain during sex and other issues that could affect a goal for orgasm. Male subjects reported a much greater average orgasm frequency than the women, showed significantly greater orgasm goal pursuit, and trended toward believing that orgasm was more important for their sexual satisfaction. If was found that women who read that a hypothetical sexual encounter would be “quick” generally reported lower intent to pursue orgasm as a goal than women who were told they could “take their time” or who received no time information. It was also found, in one scenario, that women whose hypothetical sexual partner seemed selfish reported less intent to pursue orgasm than women given a non-selfish partner or no partner information. Comparisons “between men’s and women’s patterns of responses provide an informative look into how sexual experiences overlap and differ for men and women in heterosexual partnerships. Importantly, many of these decisions appear to be based on the perceived feasibility of experiencing orgasm in the sexual encounter.”

Heterosexual women who set orgasm as a goal more likely to attain it

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