Sexist Women Ruin Their Own Sex Lives; They Have Fewer Female Orgasms And A Heavy Dependence On Men
Every day, women are subjected to sexism during their commute, at work, and even at the gym. Sexist jokes and comments are exchanged between men (such as Donald Trump's leaked 2005 lewd video), and deemed "locker room talk" in public spaces women occupy. Researchers at Queensland's School of Psychology in Australia found these sexist attitudes do more than impact women mentally, physically, and emotionally; they influence a woman's sex life.
The study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior found women who perceive their partners as sexist and selfish are significantly less likely to orgasm during sex.
Two separate surveys, which included responses from approximately 1,400 women in heterosexual relationships, were used to observe the relationship between sexism and sex life.
Sexism was defined using the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory to measure the various levels of hostile and benevolent sexism. Hostile sexism is described as the overt dislike for women, or misogyny. Benevolent sexism is a more fluid concept; the belief that women are nurturing and gentle, but cannot function without help from a strong male partner.
Emily Ann Harris, Matthew J. Hornsey and Fiona Kate Barlow, the authors of the study wrote: "Benevolent sexism assumes female passivity and romanticizes the belief that women should be reliant on men," in the paper.
This sexist ideology leads to a lack of women having their sexual desires met in the bedroom. Women who subscribed to benevolent sexism ideals also believed men were sexually selfish during sex. The researchers suspect this could be due to the perception sex is a wifely duty, rather than a pleasurable act for each partner to enjoy.
So, just how selfish were these men in bed?
Researchers measured selfishness by asking women to rate statements such as “Men care more about ‘getting off’ than whether or not their partner has an orgasm” and “During sex men care more about their own pleasure” on a scale of “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The women were then asked to answer how frequently they orgasm and the methods used.
Unsurprisingly, women's belief in benevolent sexism was linked to fewer orgasms. The female orgasm is influenced by mental and psychological factors. Therefore, if a woman believes sex is her duty and not for pleasure, it's unlikely she'll feel entitled to orgasm. Rather, sex is viewed as a obligation to be fulfilled.
Previous research has found couples who scored high on a scale of benevolent sexism were more likely to see sex as a man’s right and a woman’s duty. It was seen as a man’s reward for protecting and providing for his wife. These couples were also less likely to define rape within marriage as rape.
In the second part of the study, researchers collected information to measure how willing women were to seek pleasure, and ask for what they want during sex with selfish partners. Here, benevolent sexism was linked to fewer orgasms because of how selfish they perceived their partners to be. In other words, women were less assertive when it came to asking for pleasure in bed.
The findings highlight how relationships can suffer when couples share benevolent sexist attitudes, such as the idea men are entitled to sex from wives, and men can ask for pleasure, but women can't.
This view also distorts college-aged women's perceptions of romantic relationships. A 2015 study in Women & Health found women who were more exposed to sexist attitudes were more likely to view relationships as tools or instruments of achievement rather than a fulfillment of intimacy. Researchers noted this was also associated with lower condom use.
Source: Harris EA, Hornsey MJ, and Barlow FK. On the Link Between Benevolent Sexism and Orgasm Frequency in Heterosexual Women. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2016.