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New data about female sexual response Carol A. Butler PhD Published online: 14 Jan 2008.

To cite this article: Carol A. Butler PhD (1976) New data about female sexual response, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2:1, 40-46 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00926237608407071

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Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy VoL 2, No. 1, Spring 1976

New Data about Female Sexual Response

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Carol A . Butler, PhD

ABSTRACT: This paper reports on a 195-subject pilot study of female sexual responses. The questionnaire used in the study is described, and the data obtained are discussed and integrated with established research and theory. Discussion focuses on the relatively low frequency with which women actually experience orgasm in sexual relations and the need to understand the reasons for this phenomenon. The concept of the normality of this varied capacity for orgasm is presented in contrast to the usual tendency to evaluate female responses by male standards. Several sexual response patterns and different types of orgasms in the female are identified, and the relationship between the type of responses perceived and various other factors is discussed. Responses indicated that, on the average, the strength and degree of gratification provided by an orgasm is not related to the method of induction or to the subjective localization of the pulsating sensations.

Much has been written on the subject of the sexual responses of the human female, but a large body of empirical data is still needed so that valid norms can be established. Most statements in the literature about what is “normal” female sexuality have been made from impressions (clinical or otherwise) that have been supported by little or no concrete data. Some examples of frequently cited “authoritative” beliefs can be found in Bergler,’ Deutsch? and Bonaparte.’ In the recent literature, the trend seems to be toward making critical interpretations of the physical norms suggested by Masters and Johnson4 and then using these interpretations to support almost any point of view (for example, Glenn and Kaplan,’ Gillespie,6 Bardwick,’ Fisher,’ and Blanck and B l a n ~ k . ) ~ There have been some attempts to gather data. The most well known were by Kinsey et al.,” which included 5,940 interviews, and by Masters and John~on,~ which included a total of 487 women of whom 382 were observed in the laboratory. Some of these women and the other 105 were interviewed. Davis” did probably the first investigation in the field, in which she obtained data from 2,200 women. Terman12 explored the subject of orgasm with 556 wives. Schafer13 interviewed 30 women, GebhardI4 Reprint queries should be directed to Dr. Butler at 60 West 13th Street, New York, New York 10011.

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Carol A. Butler

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analyzed a sample of 1,026 married women selected from the Institute for Sex Research data, and Fisher8 studied 285 women using a variety of measures on different small samples. A lot of the data obtained in these investigations are too ambiguous or too value oriented for comparison purposes. Some of the substantive findings will be compared below to the results of this research. The present paper discusses the results of a pilot study for a research project the goal of which will be to gather data from a large number of women about their sexual behavior and about their sexual responses (as subjectively perceived),

METHOD Questionnaires were distributed during 1973 and 1974 in the New York City area through colleagues and friends a t colleges (to faculty and students), hospitals (to staff), and to groups of women assembled for a variety of unrelated purposes. Since this was a preliminary study the goals of which were to select and refine questionnaire items for the larger study and to gather preliminary data that might suggest further specific questions or areas of exploration, n o attempt was made to ensure representativeness of the sample. A 25% response rate yielded 195 questionnaires, and, as it turned out, subjects represented about the same population reached by Kinsey e t al.” and by Masters and J ~ h n s o n .Since ~ some of our findings were quite provocative, it was decided to present them at this time even though they are in preliminary form and the sample is relatively small. The questionnaire consisted of 24 multiple-choice items, each of which had space for write-in responses to be used if the categories offered did n o t adequately describe the subject’s responses. Subjects were instructed to complete the questionnaire anonymously and to return it in an attached postage-paid envelope. Questions 1 through 8 requested demographic data (age, religious background, ethnic identification, education, income, and marital status). Question 9 asked, “Have you ever had sexual relations?” to ensure that the subjects were qualified to complete the items. Questions 10 to 15 inquired about the frequency of intercourse and number of sex partners. Questions 16 to 24 explored subjects’ responses to sexual stimulation. Areas explored were the amount of pleasure obtained, degree of relief of sexual tensions, attitudes toward organsm, and descriptions of organsmic sensations. Most of the last page was left blank, and a note encouraging respondents to share their thoughts and reactions was included.

R ES ULTS Subjects were mostly white (94%), well educated (99% had at least graduated from high school, 50% had at the least graduated from college), middle-income Ievel (70% reported personal or family income of over $10,000 per year). The average age was 30.6 years, with a range from 18 to 59 years. Thirty-eight percent of the subjects were married at the time they participated in the study, 18% had been married, and 43% had never been married. Thirty-six percent had borne one or more children. Twenty-six percent reported that their religious upbringing was Catholic, 49%Jewish,

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Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy

19% Protestant, and 5% none or other. Sexual activity ranged from longterm monogamy to promiscuity so extensive that a few subjects had difficulty estimating the number of sex partners they had experienced. Intercorrelation of all variables will be done in the larger study but was considered t o be beyond the scope and purposes of the pilot study. For the purpose of preliminary discussion, some of the responses have been grouped by age of subject (29 and under compared with 30 and over). The results of chi-square (x2) tests for the significance of the difference between the two groups are reported along with the statistical analyses of the relevant questionnaire items. Seventy-three percent of the women in the present study reported that it is not necessary for them to have an orgasm in order to enjoy sexual relations. Thirty-nine percent reported that they can obtain a sense of relief of sexual tension without attaining orgasm. There was no significant difference between the two age groups in their responses to either question (x2 = .20, p > .05; x2 = .02, p > .05). In comparison, Wallin’’ concluded from his study that orgasm is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the “relief of a woman’s sexual desires.’’ SchaferI3 found that about half of the women she interviewed did not require orgasm to obtain sexual pleasure, Kinsey et al.” speculated that many women enjoy sex eithout orgasm because they find satisfaction in knowing that they have contributed to their sex partner’s pleasure. In the present study, orgasmic frequency was reported as shown in Table 1. It was found that 63% of the women attained orgasm in more than half of their sexual relations. Women 30 years old and over reported orgasm significantly more frequently than did the younger group. The variations in descriptive categories make precise comparisons impossible, but the findings of this research are not grossly different from the

N Never LessthanW% ofthetime More than 50% but not always Always Total

:: 59

%

1

Total

N

:2

20

100

Note 1: 10 subjects did not answer this question. Note 2: X2=17.85, p .05; x2 = .37,p > .05).

DISCUSSION An important reason that sexual relations conclude without orgasm €or women is that they receive inadequate stimulation. Kinsey et al.” estimated that their subjects required 40% to 80% more time to reach orgasm than was necessary for their husbands ’to reach orgasm (the average male ejaculates from 1 to 3 minutes after intromission).16 Women masturbate to orgasm in an average of less than 4 minutes, but they need an average of 8 minutes of intercourse to attain orgasm.” It seems reasonable to assume (as did Kinsey et al.) that this difference exists in part because the stimulation obtained from coitus is less efficient than the stimulation obtained from masturbation. Gebhard14 found a strong positive relationship between ability to attain orgasm and length of intromission. Length of foreplay was similarly related to the percentage of coitus resulting in orgasm. Masters and Johnson4 corroborated these relationships in their observations. It is clear that many women d o not regularly achieve arousal levels sufficient for them to experience a satisfying orgasm. Although Masters and Johnson4 observed that there is a uniform physiological orgasmic response to any effective sexual stimulation, they also clearly indicate that less effective stimulation or varied conditions of stimulation yield a great variation in duration and intensity of orgasmic experience “from individual to individual and within the same woman from time to time.” Other factors influencing the pattern of response are the psychological quality of the stimulation being provided and the degree of individual drive for culmination or prolongation of sexual tension. They identified three general sexual response patterns €or the female (see Figure 1). Bardwick’ hypothesized a developmental sequence of orgasmic responses (see Figure 2). Other clinicians and researchers describe reports of gratifying orgasms that are not associated with sphincterlike activity of the vagina but consist of mild, slow relaxation,” a deep and radiating sensation,’* and a sensation of sudden release.’ Obviously, the subject of orgasm in the female is one of great complexity. The old theory of the gradual loss of clitoral sensation and the transfer of

Carol A . Butler

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Figure 1

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THE FEMALE SEXUAL RESPONSE CYCLE.’

A B C 1 . Reprinted with permission from Little. Brown. and Company (Boston) from Human Sexual Response by W. H. Masters and V. E. Johnson (1966).

the sensation to the vagina has been replaced by an equally simplistic notion that all orgasms are basically the same. Even this preliminary research emphasizes the importance of understanding conclusively the variety of possible responses. Masters and Johnson4 contributed to the confusion when they reported that the observed spasms of the orgasmic platform were reported subjectively by their subjects as “a feeling of involuntary contraction with a specific focus in the vagina or lower pelvis” (italics mine). A clear differentiaFigure 2

THREE TYPES OF FEMALE ORGASM.’

----

Minimal Orgasm (A) ---Moderate Orgasm (B) -Maximal Orgasm (C)

***?

3 0

1. Reprinted with permission from Harper and Row, Publishers, from Psychology by J. M. Bardwick (1971).

Of

Women

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Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy

tion is made between “vaginal throbbing” and “pelvic throbbing,” but this distinction is blurred in their subsequent discussion where the terms are used interchangeably. They offer another interesting clue in their brief note that “consciousness of a pulsating sensation frequently continued beyond observable platform contractions” (italics mine). The possibility of relationships between the subjective localization and perception of these sensations and other factors (such as age, extent of sexual experience, perception of the vagina as a “social” organlg or as an “organ of fusion,’>’ capacity for object relations,’9 “p20 level of education needs to be explored methodically. It is hoped that an expanded and refined questionnaire distributed to a large and representative sample will provide some clarification. Writings about female sexuality often give the impression that the subject is thoroughly understood. This study will be worthwhile if it serves no other purpose than to remind us that there is still a lot to learn.

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REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

11. 12. 13. 14.

15. 16.

17. 18. 19. 20.

Bergler E: The problem of frigidity. Psych& Q 18:374-390 1944. Deutsch H: The Psychology of Women. New York, Grune & Stratton, 1944. Bonaparte M: Female Sexuality. New York, International Universities Press, 195 1. Masters W,Johnson V: Human Sexual Response. Boston, Little, Brown, 1966. Glenn J , Kaplan E: Types of orgasm in women: A critical review and redefinition. J Amer Psychoanal Assoc 16:549-564, 1968. Gillespie W: Concepts of vaginal orgasm. Int J Psychoanal 50:32-54, 1969. Bardwick J: Psychology of Women. New York, Harper & Row, 1971. Fisher S : The Female Orgasm. New York, Basic Books, 1973. Blanck G, and Blanck R: Ego Psychology: Theory and Practice. New York, Columbia University Press, 1974. Kinsey A, Pomeroy W, Martin C, et al: Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1953. Davis, I(:Factors in the Sex Life of 2200 Women. New York, Harper & Row, 1929. Terman L: Correlates of orgasm adequacy in a group of 556 wives. JPsychol 32:115-172, 1951. Schafer L: Sexual experiences and reactions of a group of 30 women as told to a female psychotherapist. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Columbia University, 1964. Gebhard P: Factors in marital orgasm. J SOCIssues 22:8&95 1966. Wallin P: A study of orgasm as a condition of woman’s enjoyment of intercourse. J SOC Psycho1 51:191-198, 1960. Kinsey A, Pomeroy W, Martin C: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia, WB Saunders. 1948. Moore B: Frigidity in women-Panel report. J AmetPsychoanal Assoc 9:571-584, 1961. Ross N: The primacy of genitality in the light of ego psychology. J Amer Psychoanal Assoc 18:267-284,1970. Gruenberger B: Outiine for a study of narcissism. In J Chassequet-Smirgel (Ed),Female Sexuality: New Psychoanalytic Views. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1970. Sarlin C: The current status of the concept of genital primacy. J Amer Psychoanal Assoc 1a:285-299,1970.

New data about female sexual response.

This paper reports on a 195-subject pilot study of female sexual responses. The questionnaire used in the study is described, and the data obtained ar...
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