Influence of social status on female sexual behaviour. A random sample study of 40-year-old Danish women.

Abstract

In a sexological study of a random sample of 225 40-year-old women, approximately representative of the Danish female population at that age, the main purpose was to obtain general information about sexual behaviour, experience, knowledge and attitude. Another aim was to examine the relationship between sexual behaviour and social status. The method was a detailed, structured interview. The participation percentage was 94. The sexological variables were tested for differences between high and low social status. Sexual behaviour was in several respects determined by social background and actual social status, women in the high social status group having more sexual scope, more benefit from sexual life, more tolerance to and knowledge about sexual matters and lower frequency of sexual problems than women in the low status group. Generally the investigation revealed as a very common feature taboo attitude concerning sexual matters during childhood and a very poor knowledge concerning specific female functions like menarche and menstruation. We conclude that in a description of sexual behaviour it is misleading if generalisations are not made from a socially representative random sample, or if data from each respective social group are not given.