Women’s Masturbation Habits May Be More Nuanced Than Men’s

Some women masturbate right after having sex with their partner. Intuitively, some might assume that this necessarily means she was dissatisfied with the sex and compensating for an unfulfilling experience. In truth, however, it just might mean precisely the opposite.

Research has found that, for sexually satisfied women, frequent sexual activity with their partner is actually linked to more masturbation [1]. In other words, masturbation is a complement to their already active and satisfying sex life. Having sex seems to make them want to masturbate more.

However, this same study found that, for sexually satisfied men, there was no link between frequency of sex and frequency of masturbation. These men masturbated the same amount no matter how much sex they were having.

This is just one of many research findings demonstrating that masturbation practices—and the factors that propel them—are often quite different between men and women, and that women’s masturbation habits may be a bit more nuanced than those of men.

To learn more about gender and masturbation, check out the video below, produced by Dr. Paul Joannides, author of one of my favorite sex books, The Guide To Getting It On.

You can also check out this article to learn more about the scientific link between sex and masturbation, and how it differs across gender.

Watch more videos on sex and relationships here.

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[1] Regnerus, M., Price, J., & Gordon, D. (2017). Masturbation and partnered sex: Substitutes or complements?. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(7), 2111-2121.

Image Source: 123RF/Mikhail Reshetnikovk

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