| dc.description.abstract | Heterosexual women are less likely to orgasm in partnered sexual interactions compared to heterosexual men, gay men, and lesbian women. This orgasm or pleasure gap has been empirically established, yet we do not fully understand how heterosexual women experience pleasure across their sexual and romantic lives. Quantitative research has indicated multiple relational, behavioral, and contextual factors associated with greater sexual satisfaction and higher orgasm rates for women, but qualitative inquiry is poised to add critical details to the description of sexual life and pleasure for heterosexual women. How might heterosexual women’s relationship to sexual pleasure shift across the life course? This study builds upon previous research by examining the contextual and behavioral factors which heterosexual women reported to be pleasurable in narrations of their romantic/sexual experiences at the time of the interview. Drawing upon a sample of currently single heterosexual women’s life history interviews (N=43) collected in 2015, I find that heterosexual women’s relationships to sexual pleasure change across the life course. Using insights from sexual scripting theories and life course perspectives on gender and sexuality, I present evidence that the conditions for women’s sexual pleasure become more favorable for most women across the life course as they move through sexual relationships and accumulate experience. Many women experience a shift from others-focused into self-focused motivations for sex, which previous research suggests may be key in producing greater sexual pleasure or a higher likelihood of orgasm. For other women, a combination of negative sexual experiences and adherence to sexual conservatism present considerable barriers to pleasurable sexual experiences across their lives. | |
