Nearly half of young men don’t know where a woman’s clitoris is, new research shows

About four in ten young men have very inaccurate views of female anatomy; they assume the clitoris is inside the body, a new study reveals.

Researchers from the University of Florida asked men aged 18 to 24 about their understanding of female genitalia and their sexual preferences.

They were specifically interested in young men’s attitudes towards different methods by which women achieve orgasm – through sexual intercourse, oral or manual methods, or the use of a sex toy.

They then looked for links between the level of anatomical knowledge and orgasm preferences.

The results showed that half of the men did not know that most women do not have an orgasm during intercourse.

It is a well-known phenomenon explained by the fact that the clitoris – the highly sensitive nerve fibers that generate pleasure – is located outside the body.

A third of the men in the study did not know the clitoris is not directly stimulated during penetrative sex.

About 40 percent incorrectly said the clitoris was on the front wall of the vaginal canal, while 28 percent said they “didn’t know.”

The men who showed greater insight into the position of the clitoris were more likely to say they experienced feelings of masculinity when their partner had an orgasm during foreplay.

Overall, the men felt a greater sense of maculinity and ‘performance’ when a partner achieves orgasm during penetrative sex, compared to any other method.

The so-called ‘orgasm gap’ has long been seen as a common experience among heterosexual partners – as men find it easier to reach climax after penetrative sex.

The new study, published in the journal Archives of sexual behavior193 heterosexual men enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a major university.

Attendees were then randomly assigned to one of three experimental scenarios, in which they had to imagine their partner achieving orgasm in different ways: sexual intercourse with them, manual/oral stimulation, or use of a vibrator.

The young men were then asked to complete an assessment of their feelings of masculinity and sexual self-esteem.

Those who imagined their partner having an orgasm from intercourse or their manual/oral stimulation reported feeling more masculine and having a greater sense of satisfaction, compared to those who imagined their partner having an orgasm from using of a vibrator.

The researchers wrote: ‘So it appears that men feel more masculine when they give their female partner an orgasm with their own body (i.e. the hands, mouth or penis) than when they use an external object (i.e. a vibrator). ) use with the body itself. part doesn’t matter.

‘Instead, this finding is more consistent with the idea that some men feel that women’s enjoyment of sex depends on a man’s technique and skills.’

Clitoral knowledge was only significantly linked to feelings of masculinity in the context of oral/manual stimulation, not during intercourse or vibrator use.

Essentially, it suggested that men who have more knowledge about the clitoris can feel more masculine if they can effectively use this knowledge to bring their partner to orgasm through manual or oral stimulation.

The researchers said: ‘If he uses a vibrator, on the other hand, a man with a similarly high level of knowledge may not feel as masculine because he may not feel as instrumental in eliciting her orgasm.

“Maybe he feels like the vibrator does a lot of the clitoral ‘work,’ making his sexual techniques that use his clitoral knowledge less important.”