Sexual satisfaction is more closely tied to orgasm for women than for men, study finds

A study of Italian adults in heterosexual relationships found that men report reaching orgasm more often than women. For both genders, more frequent orgasms went along with greater sexual arousal, a greater variety of sexual activities, and wanting sex more often. Other links differed by gender: women’s orgasm frequency was more closely tied than men’s to their sexual satisfaction and to oral sex, while men’s was linked to a different set of practices, including the use of sex toys and erotic media. The paper was published in Sexuality & Culture.

Orgasm is an intense psychophysiological experience of sexual pleasure that usually represents the height of a sexual act. It is accompanied by characteristic bodily responses such as rhythmic muscular contractions, changes in blood flow, and hormonal activity. Although its basic physiological mechanisms are broadly similar in men and women, in heterosexual relationships women report experiencing orgasm less often than men. This is known as the orgasm gap.

Researchers have proposed several explanations for the orgasm gap, including anatomy, patterns of sexual stimulation, stress, body image, and sexual self-confidence. Relationship factors such as emotional closeness, communication, responsiveness, and satisfaction also seem to play an important role, particularly for women.

Specific sexual practices matter as well, because intercourse alone may not provide the stimulation most likely to produce orgasm for many women. Sexual experiences are also shaped by cultural “scripts” that influence how men and women are expected to behave, respond, and experience pleasure during sex. These expectations can affect both sexual behavior and the meaning people attach to orgasm within intimate relationships.

Most research on the orgasm gap has drawn on samples from the United States and other English-speaking countries. The authors chose Italy in part because traditional cultural and religious influences there coexist with growing sexual openness and changing gender roles.

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Study author Cristina Civilotti of the University of Turin and her colleagues examined how often people experience orgasm and which factors are associated with it in a large group of Italian heterosexual adults. More specifically, they examined how orgasm frequency related to the quality of people’s romantic relationships, aspects of sexual satisfaction, non-coital practices (sexual activities other than intercourse), and sexual habits.

Study participants were 579 heterosexual adults in Italy who reported being in a stable relationship. They were between 18 and 60 years of age, and most were middle-aged, highly educated, steadily employed, and had been with their partners for more than 10 years. They were recruited through centers of the Italian Federation of Scientific Sexology in northern, central, and southern Italy and through an online survey link.

Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and assessments of relationship quality (a short version of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and of sexual attitudes and behaviors (the Sexual Activity Questionnaire). They also answered questions about their sexual history and functioning (e.g., “How often do you orgasm during sexual activity with your partner?”, “How often do you and your partner have sexual intercourse?”, “How often would you like to have sexual intercourse with your partner?”). Orgasm frequency was rated on a five-point scale ranging from “almost always” to “never.”

As expected, men reported reaching orgasm more often than women. Men’s average rating fell between “almost always” and “usually,” closer to “almost always,” while women’s average was close to “usually.” Additional analyses showed that this difference was not explained by participants’ age, education, employment status, parenthood, or relationship status.

For both genders, those reporting more frequent orgasms also tended to report greater ease of sexual arousal, a greater variety of sexual activity, and wanting sex more often. More frequent orgasms were also linked to better relationship quality in both men and women, including agreement with the partner on important matters, time spent together in conversation and shared activities (which the authors describe as emotional closeness), and overall happiness with the relationship. These links were somewhat larger among women, but the difference between genders was not statistically significant.

The clearest gender difference involved sexual satisfaction. Among women, more frequent orgasms were moderately linked to greater satisfaction with the sexual relationship, enjoyment of the partner’s behavior, ease of arousal, and affectionate touch, while among men these links were weak or absent. Women who reported more oral sex and more sharing of sexual fantasies also tended to report more frequent orgasms, a pattern not seen in men.

For men, orgasm frequency was linked to anal sex, sex toys, and erotic films, books, and websites, practices that were unrelated to orgasm frequency among women. The authors interpret these links as a sign that men’s orgasms are tied to sexual novelty and stimulation. However, the direction of these correlations as reported in the paper does not match that interpretation, so this finding should be treated with caution.

“These findings point to persistent gender differences in orgasmic experience and suggest that men’s orgasm is more strongly influenced by sexual novelty and stimulation, while women’s orgasm is more strongly associated with emotional and relational factors. A better understanding of these differences is essential for promoting more satisfying and equitable sexual experiences in couples,” the study authors concluded.

That summary goes somewhat beyond the data on relationships, since the paper’s own tests found no statistically significant gender difference in how relationship quality was linked to orgasm. The clearer differences involved sexual satisfaction and specific sexual practices.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of sexual experiences and of the “orgasm gap.” However, its design does not allow causal inferences, so it cannot show whether better relationships or particular practices lead to more frequent orgasms, or the reverse. All data were collected using self-report measures, leaving room for reporting bias, and orgasm frequency was measured with a single question.

Recruitment through sexology centers may have attracted people who are unusually comfortable discussing sex, and the sample was mostly middle-aged, highly educated, and in long-term relationships. The results may also not apply to LGBTQ+ adults, who were excluded from the analysis.

The paper, “Revisiting the Gender Orgasm Gap: Relational, Sexual, and Behavioral Correlates of Orgasm Attainment Among Cisgender Heterosexual Adults,” was authored by Cristina Civilotti, Giulia Di Fini, Vieri Boncinelli, Ivan De Marco, Camilla Branda, Gabriella Gandino, and Fabio Veglia.