Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, sexual wellbeing brand Durex disrupted a London screening of a football game, frustrating attendees by switching off the screen at ‘climactic’ moments, in a bid to highlight the ‘orgasm gap’ between men and women in the UK.
According to the research, sexually active women are four times less likely to say they always orgasm than a sexually active man (20% men say they always orgasm, versus 5% of women).
Women surveyed claimed to feel disappointed (22%) and frustrated (20%) while just over one in 10 (11%) say they feel nothing as they’ve grown used to it.
The sexual wellbeing brand teamed up with sex expert Alix Fox to carry out the stunt, interrupting various key moments throughout the game, from free kicks to impending goals, before revealing to the disgruntled fans the cause they were trying to highlight and create awareness of through the activity.
Alix said: “Durex’s research underlines the fact that women are frequently experiencing less pleasure and less satisfaction than men during partnered sexual encounters. The football stunt helps vividly illustrate how women can sometimes be on the losing side when it comes to feeling fulfilled during sex, and how gutting it can be when play is stopped before they’ve had chance to savour their moment."
Elsewhere in the research, it was revealed that almost half (43%) of sexually active women in the UK have at some point faked an orgasm, compared to just under a third (32%) of men. While nearly one in 10 (8%) sexually active women say they fake an orgasm around half the time they have a sexual encounter with another person.
Of the women that have faked an orgasm, the main reason given, cited by 50% of them, was to avoid making their partner feel bad or hurt their feelings. While 40% claimed they did it to bring a sexual encounter to an end.
Being comfortable to be open and honest on sexual preferences is an area that can be a struggle. One in five (20%) sexually active women and almost a quarter (23%) of sexually active men say they are uncomfortable talking to their partner about what they like and need. A further 6% of women and 4% of men saying they would never talk about it.
Marcella Christophersen, Senior Brand Manager for Durex said: “Durex wants to help people unleash the freedom to be their true sexual selves and we hope by shining a light on the issue will start a conversation and help close the gap. It was fascinating to see the reactions of men and women at our football stunt.”
