The Enduring Myth of ‘Complicated’ Female Sexuality
Research is questioning the notion that the sexual desire of women and men is inherently different
When it comes to sexual desire, men are the simpler species. Or so the conventional wisdom goes. They’re always thinking about sex and are perpetually ready to have it. Women’s carnal urges are more nuanced, mysterious even.
In popular culture, men are portrayed as porn-watching, sex-having, masturbatory beings. Chris Pratt’s character in Passengers is even willing to let a woman die for short-term companionship because he’s so attracted to her. Women, meanwhile, are shown as desiring romance over sex or simply being too enigmatic for men to pin down. Allison Williams’ character Marnie in early seasons of Girls comes to mind.
Science has tended to support these stereotypes (or offer evidence for them, anyway), with studies claiming that men think about sex more often per day than women do, men masturbate more than women, men experience more intense and more frequent sexual feelings throughout their lives compared to women, and men have orgasms more often than women.
But these results paint only a partial picture. In the past 20 years, experts have revisited these long-held beliefs about sexuality. In part because more…
