The role of orgasm in male and female sexual enjoyment

Abstract

Abstract Several researchers have suggested that orgasm plays a minimal role in female subjective sexual satisfaction. No data exist on this issue for males and the data for females are based on very global indices of sexual satisfaction. The purposes of this study were to investigate (a) the relationships between orgasm consistency and sexual enjoyment in both males and females, (b) the relationship between an individual's orgasm consistency and their partner's sexual enjoyment, and (c) the relative pleasure experienced by males and females during various sexual activities when these activities occurred with and without orgasm. Forty‐two couples attending a large northeastern state university participated on a voluntary basis. Sexual enjoyment was assessed by the Sexual Interaction Inventory (SII) which measures a variety of aspects of sexual satisfaction. The SII was also used to get subjects' ratings of sexual activities with and without orgasm. Orgasm consistency was significantly related to sexual satisfaction in females but not in males. Partner's orgasm consistency was not correlated with male or female sexual enjoyment. For most activities, for both males and females, pleasure ratings were significantly higher when the activity occurred without orgasm. This is consistent with the claim of numerous sex therapists that goal orientation detracts from sexual pleasure. The results of this study suggest that, regarding the relationship between orgasm and sexual enjoyment, the sexes are more alike than different.