The Secrets of Female Solo Sex

There's a lot of curiosity about the question how, and especially how often, women* engage in solo sex.

The internet is full of related articles and studies. Let’s get that straight right away: there's no major take-away to offer that applies for all women, everywhere. Sex drive and masturbation habits vary widely from person to person, and this goes for all genders. Nevertheless, a few tendencies seem to be validated across the publications:

Women do masturbate, but not as often as men. By the way, we've also looked for studies about genderqueer folks, but there's not so much out there yet.

The pleasure brand Womanizer publishes regular studies on male and female solo sex. Its findings are in line with other publications: there's a persisting gender-based masturbation gap.

Taking the UK as an example, women masturbate roughly once a week, which is less than half as often as the average man.

And when we look at things globally, one third of women don't masturbate at all (versus 14% of men). Looking back at the Brits, 87% of the study participants said they weren't educated about either male or female masturbation. The lack of knowledge can contribute to shame and stigma around solo sex, especially for women. It's more normalised and socially accepted for men to get themselves off than it is for women, as this Huffington Post article highlights.

Now that we know about the how often, let’s look at the “how” a bit more closely! A study amongst Portuguese women shows that the favourite tool to use is… the fingers! Touching the clit is the absolute winner, with 87% of the questioned women stating they use this technique to reach climax, followed by the good old shower jet. Only 21% use vibrators or introduce objects into their vagina. The surprise fourth place winner are pillows. Pillow-humping was used by 16% of the nearly 3,500 questioned women to reach their climax.

It’s good to know that the most successful helpers are always at hand’s reach (ha ha) for most women with two hands and access to a shower. For those who would fancy some sophisticated support, you may find some inspiration in the Womanizer sex toy bestseller list.

No matter what tools you use or how often you give yourself pleasure, we hope this article will get you in the mood for some hands-on self care. Masturbation is an important element of sexual health and well-being for all genders. It is a great source of stress relief and boosts your self-confidence. It's also a safe space to explore your body and fantasies. This is why we're dedicating a whole series of articles to self-pleasure this month! Stay tuned for tips and tricks on how to have an amazing time with yourself!

*The studies we refer to were conducted with cis women. Studies suggest that there may differences in the behaviours and preferences. Click here for a more in-depth study on masturbation habits of trans women.
Picture: Wikicommons