Rachel West
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Research Mentor(s): Terri Conley, Professor
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 5 (3pm-3:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 4
Presenter: 4
Abstract
Sex in our society is inherently gendered. One of the ways this is best exemplified is through what’s called the “orgasm gap.” Here, the gap exists between straight women and all other demographics, meaning women who have sex with men are having the fewest orgasms. Current knowledge in the field suggests that this is because of sexual scripts, the unspoken norms between sexual partners regarding whose pleasure is important and whose isn’t. Our research aims to build on a study (McClelland, 2014) of men’s and women’s individual definitions of the term “sexual satisfaction.” For women, the concept of satisfaction is less orgasm-focused and more dependent on other factors such as safety, comfortability, and self-confidence. This is partly because women are so much less likely to have an orgasm during partnered sex that they rarely expect to. In our study, we want to gain knowledge about men’s and women’s familiarity with the orgasm gap. Our survey aims to shine light on how misunderstood and complex female sexuality is, and how important it is to close the gap. Reference: McClelland, Sara I. “”ËœWhat Do You Mean When You Say That You Are Sexually Satisfied?” A Mixed Methods Study – Sara I McClelland, 2014.” SAGE Journals.
Authors: Rachel West, Verena Klein, Olivia Arguello, Kaiyu Qin
Research Method: Data Collection and Analysis
