Durex are tackling orgasm inequality with their new campaign

Orgasms - are you getting enough?

Orgasm inequality

Orgasms - are you getting enough?

Words by Ellena Rowlin

We’re all about equality in every sense of the word – and that includes the Big O. Yet recent research reveals that 2 out of 3 women don’t orgasm when they have sex – that’s a shocking 400 million missing orgasms. Happily for us, Durex have made it their mission to tackle this orgasm inequality in the UK with their Orgasms for All campaign. And their research flagged up some interesting finds, debunking some of the most common myths about sex.

Orgasm Inequality - Myths vs The Facts

Myth

Apparently almost 2 in 5 of women believe that their partner doesn’t care whether they orgasm during sex

Fact

Yet Durex found that a whopping 89% of men said it was important to them that their partner reached climax - suggesting that the ‘Selfish Man' myth needs to be done away with

Myth

That we’re a nation of generosity and expertise with 71% of people saying they know exactly how to get their partner off

Fact

The figures show a pretty dismal picture with only 1 out of 3 women reaching climax every time they have sex. However there are a significant proportion of British lovers honest enough to admit they may not be the most talented orgasm operators with an average of 24% saying they’re not sure, or don’t know how to get their partner to the finish line.

Myth

London comes out as the orgasm capital of the UK, suggesting Londoners fancy themselves as pretty skilled between the sheets

Fact

But the truth is Londoners are also the most deceptive lovers with over 17% of women saying they fake it at least once every seven days.

So what's the truth about orgasm inequality?

At first glance it’s a fake orgasm epidemic, with over 100 million orgasms being faked every single year. Almost 1 in 10 women admit to faking an orgasm at least once a week, with over one third (34%) saying they’ve faked it in the last year. What’s more (depressing) is that 64% of women regularly give up on trying to orgasm. We knew that women were more likely to fake it with a partner than a one night stand, but we didn't know this many of us were putting it on! The reason being that women were more likely to put their partners feelings over their own - reasons for faking it included; taking too long, feeling bad for a partner and boredom. Yikes.

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And if we get geographical about the situation, we hate to break it to all of you in the East Midlands, but lovers in this region are revealed to be among the most clueless with around 30% of people on average admitting they’re not sure, or don’t know how to give the gift of the Big O.

It’s not all doom and gloom though because help is at hand. Durex Sex Expert, Alix Fox says: 'The stats show that for many couples, the key to hitting the Big ‘O’ is performing a very special trick with their mouths... talking! If you'd like your lover to become more skilled at bringing you sexual pleasure, the best thing you can do is have an open, honest conversation with them about what types of touches, tools and techniques really work for you (and which ones don't).' The proof is in the pudding with 56% of women in the survey saying they feel their partner could do more to help them orgasm with lubes (32%), sex toys (34%) and porn (24%). (PSA: we've rounded up the best sex toys and the best lube, so feel free to point hapless partners in this direction.) Durex even organised a 'protest' to get us all talking about the issue of orgasm inequality - something we can definitely get on board with.

orgasm inequality

Join the campaign by visiting Durex's Orgasms for All webpage and join the conversation on social media with #OrgasmsForAll.

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