A new study says when it comes to “casual” sex encounters, women’s motivations are much like men.
Co-author of the study is Heather Armstrong PhD. She is a research associate and part-time professor at the University of Ottawa in the Human Sexuality Research Lab.
ListenThe study by professor Armstrong and fellow University of Ottawa researcher Elke Reissing (PhD, is called Women’s Motivations to Have Sex in Casual and Committed Relationships with Male and Female Partners and is published in the latest issue of the Archives of Sexual Behaviour.
The stereotype we’re challenging here is that women “always” want to have sex as an emotional bond, or with a committed partner, or with someone as with potential for a committed relationship, that’s not what we’re seeing here- H Armstrong
The purpose of this study was to explore how relationship context, sexual attraction, and the gender of one’s partner interact and affect the sexual motivations of women whether it involved heterosexual sex, gay sex, casual sex, or sex with a spouse or committed partner. Results strongly suggest that the type of sexual relationship is important when considering motivations for having sex.
The online study involved 510 subjects mostly university students. Most were non-religious, and 78 percent were Caucasion, with a median age of 21.6 years. Some 361 respondants were heterosexual, while 149 reported bisexual or lesbian attractions.
As the respondants were young many were recent virgins who said they “wanted to see what it would be like to have sex with another person”, which came in at #24 on the list.
Regardless of sexual orientation, physical features were more prevalent for women seeking casual sex. Reasons given included physique, desirable body, nice face, its fun, feels good, etc, while more emotional motivations were cited for women in committed relationships such as showing affection, communicate at a deeper level, or take the next step in the relationship.
Reasons women engage in casual sex.
- 1-the person’s physical appearance turned me on
- 2-it feels good
- 3-I was horny
- 4- wanted to experience the physical pleasure
- 5-the person had a desirable body
- 6- it’s fun
Interestingly, one of the points to come from a study in 2013 by researchers at the University of Texas and University of California-Los Angeles was that “having sex with an unattractive partner” was a top regret for women who engaged in casual sex.
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