Feminists have a crappy sex life? Not true

Feminists – they are notoriously frustrated because their sex lives are drier than the Gobi Desert. They would be happier if they shared a bed with a ‘real man’. This unflattering prejudice is especially common among misogynistic men, who like to spread it as assumed fact.

But research disproves the cliché: feminists don’t have crappy sex lives. On the contrary, there is evidence that they have better sex in bed than women who are not feminists. At least that is the finding presented by sociologist Tina Fetner from Canada’s McMaster University in an article on the scientific media network ‘The Conversation’.

Of course clichés are difficult. At the very beginning, Fetner refers to statements made by Republican US Senator Ted Cruz, who recently claimed at a conference that liberal (in the US the term ‘liberal’ means ‘left’, ‘progressive’) women are sexually dissatisfied because liberal men are ‘wimps’: ‘If you were a liberal woman and had to sleep with these wimps, you would be angry too.’ Cruz suggested that these women only find fulfillment when they submit to dominant men.

Fetner strongly disagrees with this view. And unlike Cruz, her conclusions don’t come out of the blue: she has done research on the subject. The results of their research have been published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

For her study, Fetner drew on data collected as part of an earlier research project on the sexual behavior of 2,303 Canadian adults. Participants were asked about their current sexual behavior, such as whether they masturbated, practiced anal and/or oral sex, and whether they kissed and hugged their partner during sex.

Fetner focused specifically on the 1,170 women who participated in the study, comparing the behavior of women who described themselves as feminist with those who did not. The share of self-identified feminist women was 38 percent.

The results did not provide anything to support the idea that feminists were less sexually active or had more difficulty finding a sexual partner. Both feminists and their non-feminist counterparts were equally likely to say they had recently had sex with their partner.

Yet there were differences in sexual behavior. Feminists seem to masturbate more often, and seem to focus more on clitoral stimulation during sex with a partner. “The discovery that feminist women as a group report more sexual activity that focuses on the clitoris suggests that the sex they have is more focused on their own sexual pleasure,” is how Fetner classifies these results.

Fetner also concludes that feminists hug, kiss and massage their partners more often during sex. While 57 percent of the non-feminist group reported such behavior, this was 68 percent among feminists. “These are behaviors that are typically associated with an intimate relationship,” the sociologist explains. “And these expressions of love are often mentioned by the feminist group as part of their last sexual experience.”

The study results showed that “feminist women as a group have significantly different, one might even say better, sexual experiences than other women,” Fetner notes. The scientist cannot answer with certainty why this is the case. However, in her article she outlines three possible explanations for this finding.

It could be that many women see feminism as a source of self-realization and empowerment and are therefore more likely to know what they want in bed. And I also feel more able to ask for it. Another possibility is that feminists are more likely to fall in love with a feminist partner who is more responsive to their sexual needs. And it could also be that feminists generally find it easier to talk about sex and their expectations of their partners, which helps their sex lives.

Although the study already disproves the idea of ​​sexually frustrated ’emances’, Fetner sees a need for further research. She considers research useful that can shed light on the extent to which feelings of shame and taboos play a role in the sexual behavior of feminists and non-feminists. (mr)