The term “orgasm gap” refers to the reported differences in orgasms during recent sexual encounters when sorted by sexual orientation.
One large study, for example, revealed the following percentages of folks reporting an orgasm during their most recent partnered sexual experience:
Straight men (95 percent), gay men (89 percent), bisexual men (88 percent), lesbian women (86 percent), bisexual women (66 percent), and, least orgasmically served, straight women (65 percent)
Our hunch is these numbers are inflated, and many more people are experiencing less-than-satisfying sex. But what these studies do reveal it is that it is the script, not our bodies, holding us back from more pleasure. All of our bodies are capable of pleasure, joy and connection. Orgasm isn’t even always a desired outcome of a sexual encounter. So what’s possible? How do we get past the “orgasm gap” and head towards Pleasure Equity For All!
Here at Pleasure Mechanics, we explore the knowledge, know-how and how-to of pleasure. Explore our resources at your own pace and enroll in our FREE online course when you are ready to dive deeper.
The main research driving this term is here: Frederick, D.A., John, H.K.S., Garcia, J.R. et al. Differences in Orgasm Frequency Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women in a U.S. National Sample. Arch Sex Behav 47, 273–288 (2018).