The Role of the Partner in Shaping Orgasm Experiences of Cisgender Women: A Review of the Last Five Years of Research
摘要
Orgasm is often associated with pleasure and is highly sought after in sexual experiences. Orgasm is also positively associated with sexual wellbeing, particularly among women. This review provides an overview of the interpersonal context of cisgender women’s orgasm experience, with a particular focus on relevant literature in the past five years. It includes an overview of the orgasm gap, key theoretical models for understanding women’s orgasm experiences, including orgasm difficulties, and relevant interpersonal and partner correlates. Research on the impacts of orgasm difficulty on cisgender women’s partners will also be discussed.
Recent FindingsCisgender women’s orgasm is positively associated with their own sexual and relationship wellbeing. Yet, the orgasm experiences of women are quite variable between women, and across sexual encounters for the same woman. In addition, a significant orgasm gap exists between cisgender women (who have sex with cisgender men), and cisgender men (who have sex with cisgender women), where women experience orgasm less consistently than men. These differences are not biological in nature; rather, they are best explained by sociocultural and interpersonal factors. Sexual communication and sexual behaviours that stimulate a woman’s clitoris are important predictors of women’s orgasm. Women also report orgasm more frequently with partners who are more familiar to them (in part due to greater sexual communication, and greater engagement in sexual activities that include direct clitoral stimulation). Women are least likely to orgasm when partnered with cisgender men.
SummaryOverall, this review highlights that sociocultural and interpersonal factors are important predictors of cisgender women’s orgasm. Despite the important role of the partner, dyadic research is scarce. Future research and treatment should include both women with orgasm difficulty and their partners.