MISSING: College Women’s Orgasms
Sexual encounters may not result in toe-curling bliss for collegiate females.
In a recent survey of more than 4,000 college students across the country, a sociology professor at Stanford University found that women in college orgasm less than half as often as college males during hook-ups.
Merriam-Webster defines an orgasm as “an explosive discharge of neuromuscular tensions at the height of sexual arousal that is usually accompanied by the ejaculation of semen in the male and by vaginal contractions in the female.”
Sociology professor Paula England’s survey questioned students about their most recent hook-ups, which ranged from kissing to manual sex to oral sex to intercourse. The results showed that 44 percent of men had reached orgasm compared to 19 percent of women.
More specifically, 70 percent of men climaxed during intercourse without oral sex beforehand, but only half the amount of females could do the same.
Catherine Cornwell, a professor in the psychology department, questioned the validity of England’s study.
“Men, according to cultural stereotypes, are supposed to be more interested in sexual satisfaction than women,” she said.
The subjects of the survey may not have been answering England’s survey truthfully and could have been catering to what they thought were socially expected answers, Cornwell said.
A possible cause of the sexual gender gap may be the social focus of sexual activity on male pleasure, England’s study reveals. In almost half of oral sex reports, only men received it, and women were the sole receivers 16 percent of the time.
Minnie-Bruce Pratt, a women’s studies professor, said this inequity is due to the double standard that teaches women to resist expressing their sexuality and for men to enjoy it.
“I think that women not being able to ask for what they want in sex, that is, show they have desire, comes from a very embedded notion in this culture that if you’re a woman and you like sex, there’s something dirty and wrong with you,” she said.
Because of this societal pressure, women may be less likely to explore themselves sexually. Only 60 percent of women surveyed admitted to masturbating in order to orgasm, while 97 percent of men did.
Sociology professor Marjorie DeVault said she thinks the lack of female masturbation may be a significant reason why women have trouble coming.
“That’s the kind of sexual practice that gets people familiar with their bodies,” she said. Because of this, women may not know what works best to make them peak.
Though the survey was supposedly only administered to heterosexuals, data indicated that women who are sexually active with other woman are more likely to orgasm.
Sixty-two percent of college women came from receiving oral sex from another woman, while 39 percent had an orgasm after oral sex from a man.
A lesbian student, who wished to remain anonymous, said women have a stronger desire to satisfy their partners than men.
“Women are more interested in how their partner feels,” she said. She added that those engaging in same-sex hook-ups are more likely to ask for reciprocation.
Honesty and communication are critical to solutions between sexual partners.
In instances of oral sex, only a quarter of women reported real orgasms, while 60 percent of men thought they made their partner come. This comes from either faking orgasms or miscommunication between partners.
The study also indicated a correlation between increased orgasms within relationships. Women climaxed 60 percent of the time during sex in a relationship, while first-time intercourse hardly resulted in orgasm. This may indicate that communication is higher in relationships and more conducive to mutual orgasm.
Men in relationships ejaculate during intercourse 89 percent of the time, according to the study, so even for students in relationships, there is still a significant statistical gap between male and female orgasms.
DeVault, the sociology professor, said promoting a more open environment is the best way to solve this problem.
“I think one thing that might be helpful is just to talk more openly about sexual experience,” she said. “Then they’d have a better sense of the varied experiences that other people have and know that it’s OK to express themselves sexually however they want to.”
