Research - College Students and Sexual Pleasure

INTRO

A part of our project was doing our own sociological research at Clark University. We created a short survey to measure responses quantitatively and used convenience sampling in recruiting our participants. A link of the study and recruitment information were posted on Clark University groups on a social media service. The study was inspired by a similar study looking at determinants of sexual enjoyment and an article assessing the gender inequality in hook up culture. Receiving oral sex, a skilled partner and intimacy between partners helped women achieve orgasms more often (446, 448, 453). However, our current culture of hooking up is inequal, women are much more likely to give than to receive oral sex. They also have difficulty communicating their desires to partners in short term relationships. 

DATA

Our sample consisted of 79 participants: 73% women, 26% men, 1% transgender and 1% gender queer.

Most participants identified as heterosexual: 81% straight, 8% gay and lesbian, 8% bisexual, 2% pansexual, 1% queer.

88% engaged in sexual activities (oral, vaginal, anal, digital), 91% of those who are sexually active also engaged in sexual activities while in college

51% have been in long term relationships and 50% have been in short term relationships

In long term relationships: 63% experienced orgasms frequently, 100% valued their partner's experience and 84% valued their own experience

In short term relationships: only 31% experienced orgasms frequently, 81% valued their partner's experience and 72% valued their own experience

BARRIERS

There were several limitations to our study. Firstly, we lacked a qualitative component that could have gone more in depth about the experiences college students have. We could have conducted interviews, but we believed subjects would be reluctant in openly talking about their experiences to researchers who went to the same school. Confidentiality could be maintained, but participants might not feel comfortable discussing a taboo subject in such detail.

Another issue was the female skew we saw in participants. Our study was not aimed at the experiences of women only, but rather wanted to compare results across genders, sexual identities and orientations. Having a heavily female sample can give us more distribution in the data on women, but it also limits us by keeping all other groups in small proportions.

The sampling may also reflect issues. Since sexuality is such a taboo subject in many societies, it would not be a surprise if several students decided not to participate due to the subject matter of the survey. This discourages participants from making their behaviors and attitudes known for study.

Designing the study also posed problems when we were collecting data. Not agreeing on what a word or phrase means can provide inaccurate results that do not reflect the true image of the population, in this case, Clark University students. Terms such as relationship (long and short term) had to be clearly defined in the study. Short term relationships were considered to be shorter than a month and included hook ups and one night stands, long term relationships were those lasting for more than 6 months. 

CONCLUSIONS

The most surprising discovery is that both male and female participants seems to care more about the experience of their partner than their own. This may be due to not wanting to seem inexperienced. 

The data show what we have expected. Women experience fewer orgasms and give more than they get compared to men. Long term relationships allow women and men to experience more orgasms, more communication, less judgement, more giving and receiving and an increased value attached to sexual enjoyment. 

References

Armstrong, EA.; England, P.; Fogarty, ACK. Accounting for women's orgasm and sexual enjoyment in college hookups and relationships. American Sociological Review, 77(3), 435-462. 2012 

In Hookups, Inequality Still Reigns (Well In Hookups Inequality Still Reigns Comments)

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/women-find-orgasms-elusive-in-hookups/?_r=0

“Sexual Practices and Last Heterosexual Encounter and Occurrence of Orgasm in a National Survey”

     In heterosexual encounters, women are less likely to reach orgasm than men. This has long been seen as a problem in thesexological literature Much of the research on female difficulties with orgasm or with heterosexual sex in general has focused more on indirect causes, such as upbringing, attitudes, religion, marital adjustment, anxiety, previous traumatic experiences, or the woman's relationship with her father or other figures rather than proximal causes, such as the form of stimulation received. (217)

              

       The finding is in line with data from the Australian Study of Health and Relationships indicating that people who said they had sex often were more likely both to report their regular heterosexual relationship as extremely emotionally satisfying and to find the sex in their relationship extremely physically pleasurable.Satisfaction was directly connected to sxual assertiveness, frequent sex, using many techniques in sexual encounters, and orgasm. For women, it was also connected to  young age, and for men, considering sexuality important in life, reciprocal love, and using sex materials. (218)

      For men, the likelihood of orgasm was not strongly influenced by the number of sexual practices, probably because of the high proportion of men having orgasms from a single practice, usually vaginal intercourse. For women, the results were different and suggested that it is only when practices such as oral and manual stimulation are added to vaginal intercourse that women become more likely to have an orgasm. (220)This suggests that women may be more likely to count activities as sex when they do not include intercourse, though such a suggestion is not supported by other research.(222)The heavy concentration on a few of the many possible combinations of the six practices we did ask about suggests that a fairly limited “script” for sex is well-established. (223)

Demographic and relationship characteristics were associated with orgasm, but the differences were not as dramatic as the associations with gender and with sexual practice. The associations between orgasm and demographic characteristics suggest a social class effect, with better-educated, non-immigrant women more likely to have orgasms. (224)

       Although women were more likely to reach orgasm when the encounter included manual and oral sex, their orgasms did not necessarily occur during these practices.(224)One possible explanation of the discrepancy between male and femal experience of orgasmin in partnered encounters is that men want sex more often than women, with the result that in established couples, some of the sexual interactions are what women popularly call “mercy fucks” or “freebies”.(224)

It is hard to escape the conclusion that when men is keen to have sex but the woman is not, intercourse ensues and the man reaches orgasm, but when the women is keen but the men is not, sex rarely happens.(224 - 225)Another possible explanation for the discrepancy between male and female experience of orgasm in partnered encounters is that women are intrinsically less keen on sex than men and/or less physiologically capable of reaching orgasm.(225)Manual and oral sex provide the direct stimulation for many women that makes orgasm more likely, though still less likely than for men.All of these comparisons make the naive assumption that orgasms are qualitatively all the same and can simply be counted, and that more is better.Considerable effort has been expended on the “sex problem” of women: they appear to be less interested in sex than men, they report more problems, and they are less likely to reach orgasm in partnered sex. (225)

       The proximal cause - the sexual stimulation delivered to women in the typical, rigidly-scripted heterosexual interaction- has more to do with whether they reach orgasm( as we suspect, enjoy sex) than with more obscure and distant causes. Most demographic and sexual history variables, apart from young age and non-English-speaking background, were comparatively weakly associated with orgasm. It is likely than insofar as such factors affect the likelihood of orgasm, they do so partly or even largely through the mechanism of sexual practices.(225)

Female Orgasms: Myths and Facts

There are several myths regarding orgasm. These myths can sometimes cause problems for women and their partners.

Myth:

An orgasm is always an earth-moving experience and there is something wrong with a woman if she is unable to reach orgasm.

Fact:

Some women have orgasms and don’t know it. Some women do not experience orgasm in the sense of feeling their pelvic floor muscles contract. They do however reach a peak of arousal after which they feel very relaxed and contented, the same feelings other women experience after orgasm. By contrast, women who get very aroused and do not experience orgasm will sometimes feel “nervous” or “edgy” or even an aching discomfort in their pelvis.

Myth:

“Normal” women reach orgasm through intercourse.

Fact:

Only about a third of women experience orgasm regularly during intercourse. A third can reach orgasm with intercourse but need extra stimulation. A third never achieve orgasm during intercourse but can by manual and oral stimulation. Having orgasms by means other than intercourse is a normal variation of female sexuality. In the past, people thought that “mature” women had their orgasms with intercourse; you will sometimes run across an older book that has this view. However, laboratory studies in the 1960’s showed that an orgasm is an orgasm no matter which way you obtain it. How a woman reaches an orgasm has nothing to do with her mental health or emotional maturity.

Myth:

Inability to reach orgasm, or anorgasmia means a woman is “frigid” or that there is something seriously wrong with her or her relationship.

Fact:

Women who were able to have orgasms in the past but can no longer do so may be suffering from a medical problem or a side effect from medication.

Women who have never had an orgasm may never have learned what type and duration of stimulation they need.

Myth:

If a woman cannot reach orgasm, then her partner is not a skillful lover.

Fact:

While there are many ways a loving partner can help a woman reach orgasm, in the end, a woman is responsible for her own sexual pleasure. That does not mean her partner should not be involved. Communication between partners is very important. It is up to the woman to inform her partner her likes and dislikes in their love making.

Myth:

A woman has to have an orgasm in order to enjoy sex. This myth seems to be more common among men than among women.

Fact:

Many women enjoy the closeness and physical intimacy of sex and are satisfied even if they do not, or do not always, have an orgasm.

source from The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists