Women's Experiences With Genital Touching, Sexual Pleasure, and Orgasm: Results From a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18 to 94

Figures & data

Table 1. Respondent Characteristics.

	Weighted
	% (n)
Age
18–24	10.1 (107)
25–29	10.4 (110)
30–39	16.4 (173)
40–49	15.9 (167)
50–59	19.3 (204)
60–69	18.5 (195)
70+	9.3 (99)
Sexual orientation
Asexual	0.6 (7)
Bisexual	4.8 (51)
Gay or lesbian	1.6 (17)
Heterosexual/straight	91.4 (965)
Other	0.7 (7)
Relationship status
Single and not dating	22.1 (234)
Single and dating/hanging out with someone	5.3 (56)
In a relationship/not living together	7.0 (74)
In more than one relationship	0.5 (5)
Living together but not married	11.5 (122)
Married	52.8 (557)
Current relationship partner
Man	95.0 (773)
Woman	4.1 (33)
Trans man (female to male)	0.5 (4)
Trans woman (male to female)	0.2 (2)
Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic	65.1 (687)
Black, non-Hispanic	12.3 (129)
Other, non-Hispanic	6.7 (70)
Hispanic	14.7 (155)
2+ races, non-Hispanic	1.3 (14)
Region of country
Northeast	18.3 (193)
Midwest	21.2 (224)
South	37.5 (396)
West	23.0 (243)
Education
Less than high school	11.6 (122)
High school	28.7 (303)
Some college	30.1 (317)
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.7 (313)
Gone through menopause yet?
Yes	44.7 (472)
No	53.1 (561)
Refused	2.1 (22)

Table 2. Self-Reported Frequency of Orgasm Among Women During Penile-Vaginal Intercourse, with and without Clitoral Stimulation.

	% of Women
	Without clitoral stimulation	With clitoral stimulation
Frequency of orgasm	% (n)	% (n)
Never	18.2 (115)	9.6 (60)
Less than 25% of the time	21.8 (138)	13.7 (86)
25%–49% of the time	8.2 (52)	11.7 (74)
About 50% of the time	10.5 (66)	10.3 (65)
51%–75% of the time	12.3 (78)	11.7 (74)
More than 75% of the time	15.5 (98)	20.7 (131)
Always	13.5 (86)	22.3 (141)

Table 3. Respondent Perceptions about Orgasm Enhancement.

Experience or technique	% (n)
Spending time to build-up arousal	77.2 (614)
Having a partner who knows what I like	58.6 (466)
Emotional intimacy	55.5 (441)
Not feeling rushed	43.9 (349)
Having my clitoris touched at the same time we're having intercourse	39.0 (310)
Newness of the experience—it's something different than usual	23.9 (190)
Sex that lasts a long time	18.5 (147)
When I masturbate during sex with a partner	13.3 (106)
Anal stimulation	10.6 (85)
A particular breathing pattern	7.0 (56)
Other	3.9 (31)

Note. Respondents could choose more than one response.

Table 4. Percentage of Women Who Enjoy Touch on Different Parts of the Vulva, Different “Shapes” or Styles of Touch, and Single or Multiple Styles of Touch.

Location of touch	% (n)
Directly on clitoris	66.6 (636)
On the skin around clitoris (e.g., on either side of your clitoris, or above or below it)	45.3 (433)
Occasionally brushing over clitoris, but not applying pressure to it	25.2 (241)
On vaginal lips (labia minora or labia majora)	20.4 (195)
On the mons (the pubic mound; the triangular part where pubic hair grows)	7.8 (74)
Avoid touching clitoris directly	5.2 (50)
Other	2.1 (20)
“Shape” or style of touch
Up and down	63.7 (608)
Circular	51.6 (493)
Side to side	30.6 (292)
Pulsating (rapid pushing in one spot)	21.2 (202)
Pushing/pressing in one spot	18.9 (180)
Flicking	16.0 (152)
Tall ovals	14.0 (133)
Tapping	11.6 (111)
Wide ovals	10.2 (97)
Diagonal	9.8 (94)
Squeezing/pinching	8.4 (80)
Pulling	5.4 (52)
Other	3.0 (28)
Refused	2.4 (23)
Number of touch styles endorsed
None	4.7 (44)
1	41.0 (391)
2	15.1 (144)
3	16.0 (153)
4	8.2 (79)
5	4.6 (44)
6	3.1 (29)
7	1.7 (16)
8	2.1 (20)
9	0.9 (90)
10	0.5 (4)
11	0.4 (3)
All 12 styles of touch	1.9 (18)

Note. Respondents could choose more than one response.

Table 5. Respondents' Preferences Regarding Pressure During Genital Touch.

Amount of pressure	% (n)
Medium pressure that moves your genital skin	33.7 (322)
Being touched very lightly	30.9 (295)
Light pressure that glides over your genital skin	25.3 (241)
All pressures feel equally good	15.9 (152)
Firm pressure that pushes deep into your genital skin	10.7 (102)
Something else	1.4 (13)

Note. Respondents could choose more than one response.

Table 6. Respondents' Preferences for Different Patterns of Stimulation During Partnered Genital Touch.

Pattern of touch	% (n)
Touching your genitals in a repeated rhythmic motion	81.7 (754)
A motion that circles around your clitoris	78.1 (719)
Switching between a few different motions (for example, switching from circles to an up-and-down motion)	76.0 (700)
Often the same way of touching that's most pleasurable might feel too intense if it's done constantly. So it feels best to switch between that intense motion and other less intense motions.	75.8 (698)
Making the pleasure last longer by touching slower or less frequently than what would bring you quickly to orgasm	73.6 (681)
Touching the area just outside the vaginal opening without actually going in	73.5 (675)
Teasing by approaching sensitive areas but then passing by them	71.2 (655)
Moving wetness from the vaginal opening to other areas	67.8 (619)
Consistent—a motion that repeats in exactly the same way	66.8 (613)
Stimulating your clitoris indirectly by moving the surrounding skin rather than directly touching the clitoris itself	66.5 (612)
Constantly changing either speed, pressure, direction, or motion to keep the stimulation “surprising”	65.8 (604)
Delaying orgasm to achieve more pleasure or a stronger orgasm	65.5 (604)
Touching everywhere on your genitals other than the vagina or clitoris to build anticipation.	64.6 (596)
Having multiple orgasms without taking a break to rest in between them	47.2 (433)
Putting extra emphasis on one part of a motion—for instance, more pressure every time you touch the left side	36.5 (332)

Note. Response options were presented in a randomized order and respondents could choose more than one response.