The Gender Orgasm Gap: A Critical Research Review on Gender Differences in Orgasm Frequency during Heterosex

Introduction Since the 1960 s, there has been debate in academia, the women's movement, and the general public about the fact that women experience orgasms less frequently than men during heterosex as well as why, and additionally about if and how to close this gender orgasm gap. Within a bio-psycho-social model of sexuality, gender orgasm gaps are explained theoretically in very different ways. Objectives The aim of this research review is to report the empirical findings to date on the size of the gender orgasm gap as well as to present and critically discuss the proposed practice measures intended to close it. Methods In the course of a systematic literature search n = 20 empirical publications on the orgasm gap and an additional n = 16 original research papers promoting its closure were identified and coded (1982-2021). Results The surveys included are based on the self-reports of N = 49 940 women and N = 48 329 men, and show that typically 30 % to 60 % of women report reaching orgasm during heterosex in contrast to 70 % to 100 % of men. Depending on the context of heterosex, the size of the orgasm gap varies from -20 % to -72 % to the disadvantage of women. The ten population-representative surveys presented yield a weighted mean orgasm gap of -30 % [95 % confidence interval: -31; -30]. The measures proposed in previous literature for closing the orgasm gap relate to personal factors, relationship factors, sexual interaction factors, and societal factors: Women are advised to strive more consciously for their own orgasm and to talk more openly about their sexual wishes in the relationship. In addition, women and men are advised to integrate more direct clitoral stimulation into heterosex and to demarginalize women's orgasms socially. Conclusion Based on the current state of research, there is a need to continue addressing issues around the gender orgasm gap in both research and practice. However, given the limited successes of recent decades, it also seems imperative to critically examine the approaches taken so far in the "battle for orgasm equality".