Abstract
Previous research on subclinical orgasmic difficulties among women has focused on intrapsychic and interpersonal variables, but little attention has been paid to the more distal ideological factors that might indirectly constrain sexual pleasure. We hypothesized that women’s endorsement of a benevolently sexist worldview would be negatively associated with orgasm frequency. Specifically, we predicted that benevolent sexism would be associated with increased perceptions of male sexual selfishness. This perception of men as interested in their own sexual pleasure would then predict decreased willingness to ask a partner for sexual pleasure, which in turn would be associated with less frequent orgasms. We found support for our model across two studies (Study 1: N = 339; Study 2: N = 323). We did not, however, find a direct effect of benevolent sexism on orgasm frequency. We discuss possible additional variables linking benevolent sexism with orgasm frequency, implications, and future directions.
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Notes
The full survey measured men and women’s sexual attitudes, sexual history, and social attitudes, N = 986. Additional information regarding the full survey can be provided by the authors upon request.
In both Study 1 and 2, each variable had >5 % missing data; hence, series mean substitution was used.
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Harris, E.A., Hornsey, M.J. & Barlow, F.K. On the Link Between Benevolent Sexism and Orgasm Frequency in Heterosexual Women. Arch Sex Behav 45, 1923–1931 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0780-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0780-9