lennart
20-01-03, 16:02
Today's women have less sex than their 1950s counterparts, a survey suggests.
Researchers in the United States believe the demands of modern life are to blame - leaving women with little time or energy.
Fifty years ago, most women were stay-at-home mums with more free time. Few had jobs and television sets were rare.
Today, many women hold down jobs while also raising children. Any spare time is often spent shopping, working out in the gym or watching their favourite television programmes.
Researchers from the Kinsey Institute said their survey suggested women have less time for sex.
According to the study, 42% of women who cohabit with male partners have sex two or three times a week. This compares to just one in three married women.
Less time
The researchers said that while figures from the 1950s are not directly comparable they were higher.
"People don't have as much sex as they used to," Dr John Bancroft, the institute's director, told the Daily Mail.
"Couples are often weighted down by double careers and childcare, and by the time people have been to the shopping mall and watched all the television they want, there is not much time for sex.
"We live in an age where there is little unfilled leisure time. Sex used to fill that gap."
The findings are based on telephone interviews with 853 women between the ages of 20 and 65.
The survey also revealed that fewer women may have sexual problems than was previously thought.
It suggested that just one in four American women are "significantly distressed" about their sex lives.
This compares to a 1999 study which suggested that almost half of all women suffered from sexual dysfunction, such as a lack of interest in sex.
The researchers said the sharp difference may be due to the fact that previous studies have only looked at the physical aspects of sexual dysfunction - problems with arousal and orgasm.
Sexual problems
The Kinsley Institute team said emotional and mental aspects need to be taken into account when trying to determine levels of sexual dysfunction in women.
They said women's sexual satisfaction, her general emotional well-being and her emotional relationship with her partner are important factors.
"This study emphasizes the importance of non-physiological components of sexuality as well as the general importance of mental health," said John Bancroft, director of the Indiana University-based Kinsey Institute.
"It's not conclusive, but it counterbalances what I believe to be the rather extraordinary conclusion that 43% of women suffer from sexual dysfunction."
The Kinsey study, which will appear in the June issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, was a random telephone survey of women who had been in a heterosexual relationship for at least six months.
Researchers in the United States believe the demands of modern life are to blame - leaving women with little time or energy.
Fifty years ago, most women were stay-at-home mums with more free time. Few had jobs and television sets were rare.
Today, many women hold down jobs while also raising children. Any spare time is often spent shopping, working out in the gym or watching their favourite television programmes.
Researchers from the Kinsey Institute said their survey suggested women have less time for sex.
According to the study, 42% of women who cohabit with male partners have sex two or three times a week. This compares to just one in three married women.
Less time
The researchers said that while figures from the 1950s are not directly comparable they were higher.
"People don't have as much sex as they used to," Dr John Bancroft, the institute's director, told the Daily Mail.
"Couples are often weighted down by double careers and childcare, and by the time people have been to the shopping mall and watched all the television they want, there is not much time for sex.
"We live in an age where there is little unfilled leisure time. Sex used to fill that gap."
The findings are based on telephone interviews with 853 women between the ages of 20 and 65.
The survey also revealed that fewer women may have sexual problems than was previously thought.
It suggested that just one in four American women are "significantly distressed" about their sex lives.
This compares to a 1999 study which suggested that almost half of all women suffered from sexual dysfunction, such as a lack of interest in sex.
The researchers said the sharp difference may be due to the fact that previous studies have only looked at the physical aspects of sexual dysfunction - problems with arousal and orgasm.
Sexual problems
The Kinsley Institute team said emotional and mental aspects need to be taken into account when trying to determine levels of sexual dysfunction in women.
They said women's sexual satisfaction, her general emotional well-being and her emotional relationship with her partner are important factors.
"This study emphasizes the importance of non-physiological components of sexuality as well as the general importance of mental health," said John Bancroft, director of the Indiana University-based Kinsey Institute.
"It's not conclusive, but it counterbalances what I believe to be the rather extraordinary conclusion that 43% of women suffer from sexual dysfunction."
The Kinsey study, which will appear in the June issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, was a random telephone survey of women who had been in a heterosexual relationship for at least six months.