The Sexual Consumer: Characteristics, Expectations, and Experiences of Women Attending In-Home Sex Toy Parties

Abstract

Sexuality education efforts tend to focus on adolescents and risk-reduction strategies. Outside of clinical settings, there are few sexuality education opportunities focusing on enhancing the sexual lives (e.g., desire, arousal, orgasm) of adult women in long-term monogamous relationships. In-home sex toy parties may enrich women's sexual experiences by providing attendees with an opportunity to learn in a nontraditional setting. In the present study, more than 2,500 party attendees were surveyed regarding their party experience and sexual history. Participants reported high scores on the Female Sexual Function Index with repeat attendees scoring significantly higher than their counterparts. Recommendations are discussed regarding the use of parties as a source for sexuality information distribution and screening for therapeutic referrals.