Celebrate 65 Years of Women’s Sex Research Today

Sixty-five years ago today (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey’s classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. As many of you know, this was the first book of its kind to really explore women’s sexual attitudes and behaviors from a scientific point of view.

Kinsey’s book sent shockwaves around the world and was quickly labeled “obscene” by many, due to the prevailing negative views on sex in the 1950s. Today, though, we look back on Kinsey’s brave work as one of the most important publications on human sexuality to date. Kinsey’s research was groundbreaking in so many ways, but largely because it debunked many myths and misconceptions about women’s sexuality.

Kinsey found that the women he surveyed were far more sexual than most people at the time assumed: many of them were masturbating, having sex outside of marriage, and engaging in same-sex behaviors. This landmark study showed the world that men aren’t the only ones who have sexual needs and desires. Women most certainly have them, too, and they’re no less important to study than are men’s.

Thanks to Kinsey’s willingness to buck the norms of his time and publish his controversial study, female sexuality–and the study of sex more broadly–eventually came to be seen as a worthwhile area of scientific inquiry. To be fair, though, it still has plenty of detractors today–something that I can attest to as a sex researcher myself.

In order to honor this important milestone in the history of sex research (or “K-Day,” as some have nicknamed it), here’s a look at some of the most interesting studies on women’s sexuality that have emerged in the last few years precisely because Kinsey and his team of research associates paved the way. Happy K-Day!

• Nocturnal Orgasms Aren’t Just For Men–Women Have Them Too
• Women’s Most and Least Common Reasons for Having Sex
• Women’s Preferred “Shapes” and Styles of Genital Touch (Infographic)
• Infographic: Women’s Experiences With Orgasm During Vaginal Intercourse
• What Makes Women More Likely To Orgasm During A Hookup?
• 10 Surprising Facts About The Vagina
• The G-Spot Isn’t What You Think It Is

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Image Credit: Justin Lehmiller