U.S. survey : about the orgasm gap

It will come as no surprise to most women, but men think they perform better than they really do in the bedroom. Some 85 per cent of men said the last person they slept with had an orgasm, according to new a U.S. survey.

Yet when the researchers asked women the same question, just 64 per cent agreed. The ‘orgasm’ gap is being blamed by experts on men being happy to please themselves without ensuring their partner is satisfied.

To illustrate the point, the study found that men are more likely to orgasm when sex includes vaginal intercourse, whilst women are more likely to orgasm when they engage in a variety of sex acts.

The findings were from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behaviour, one of the most comprehensive studies in two decades into the sex lives of Americans.

The research team from the University of Indiana documented the sexual experiences and condom use of 5,865 adolescents and adults ages 14 to 94. The findings suggest that while a lot of men do stick to a routine, there are also plenty of people ‘experiment’ when it comes to sex.

Around 7per cent of women and 8per cent of men said they are gay, lesbian or bisexual and some 41 different ‘combinations of sexual acts’ were identified.

This surprised the Indiana team who said they were taken aback by the ‘enormous diversity’ that in the bedroom when the lights went off.

‘Our main point is that sex is more than just vaginal intercourse,’ said study author Michael Reece, director of Indiana University’s Centre for Sexual Health Promotion.

‘While it does appear to be the most common behaviour ... many people are being diverse in their sexual lives.’

The research found that among young Americans, condom use is becoming the norm and they are in fact now more responsible then adults when it comes to using protection.

Some 80per cent of 14-17-year-olds - 80per cent of girls and 69per cent of boys - said they wore one during intercourse, compared with under half of adults who enjoyed casual liaisons.

The lowest rates of condom use were reported by people older than 40, suggesting they ‘may need better education’ about the risks of sexually transmitted infections, the research team concluded.