The Orgasm Gap
Main things I was looking for: In 2005, Paula England, Professor of Sociology at Stanford, identified an orgasm gap amongst the Stanford undergraduate population, in which men thought that women experienced orgasms at much larger rates than they actually did. For instance, their estimates for female orgasm were 58% for sexual intercourse while females’ reported rate was 34%. This was much lower than men’s rate of 85%. Following England’s research, I wanted to see if the orgasm gap she discovered holds true at Brown, and how (if at all) this gap differed during random hookups and during hookups that occurred in relationships. England also reported finding that women were more likely to perform more sexual acts on men than men were to perform on women, and I wanted to see if this also was the case at Brown. (England, Paula, Fitzgibbons Shafer, Emily, and Fogarty, Alison C.K. “Hooking up and Forming Romantic Relationships on Today’s College Campuses.” Kaler, Amy, Michael S. Kimmel, and Amy Aronson. The Gendered Society Reader. Don Mills, Ont: Oxford University Press, 2008.)
Findings: At least at Brown, in my little survey, girls and guys seem to be equally giving and receiving. And not surprisingly, the orgasm gap exists. Strange finding – girls underreporting guys’ orgasms – or guys overreporting. Either very dark / drunk / confused, and / or this survey wasn’t very accurate.
Out of 55 female reports and 24 male reports of female orgasm during last heterosexual hookup outside of a relationship in which there was genital contact
Out of 40 female reports and 20 male reports of female orgasm during last hookup that took place in a heterosexual relationship and in which there was genital contact
Out of 25 male reports and 58 female reports of male orgasm during last heterosexual hookup outside of a relationship in which there was genital contact
Out of 21 male reports and 39 female reports of male orgasm during last hookup that took place in a heterosexual relationship and involved genital contact
Out of 22 female reports and 9 male reports of last hookup outside of a relationship in which alcohol was not imbibed on the day of the hookup and during which there was genital contact
Out of 8 male reports and 17 female reports of male orgasm during last hookup outside of relationship on a day in which alcohol was not imbibed and there was genital contact
Out of 41 female reports and 13 male reports of female orgasm during last hookup outside of relationship on a day in which alcohol was imbibed and there was genital contact
Out of 17 male reports and 41 female reports of male orgasm during last hookup outside of a relationship on a day in which alcohol was imbibed and there was genital contact
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