Many people are comfortable with the idea that guys masturbate but can't quite wrap their minds around the idea of a girl doing the same thing. This happens for a lot of reasons. In general, girls are thought to be less sexual than guys are. Sometimes girls are taught that sexuality makes them bad or dirty, and that the only sexual feelings they should express are those directed at a husband.
Also, in many cultures, girls hear the message that there is something wrong or gross about their genitals. As a result, girls who masturbate sometimes feel like they are the only ones doing so. Rest assured this isn't the case. In fact, the most recent studies report that about 80% of women have masturbated at some point in their lives.
Still not convinced? Check out some of the key findings on masturbation over the past fifty years.
The Kinsey Report (1948 and 1953)
Conducted over half a century ago by a man named Alfred Kinsey, this study found that among white American adults, 92% of men and 62% percent of women reported that they had previously masturbated.
The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior (1993)
This study found that 10% of women reported masturbating frequently (several times weekly or daily) and 25% of men reported masturbating frequently. It also found that 38% of women reported masturbating on a regular basis (monthly to daily) in comparison to 55% of men.
The Social Organization of Sexuality (1994)
The authors of this study collected information about masturbation from face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires of men and women between the ages of 18 and 59. The researchers discovered that 41.7% of women and 63.3% of men masturbated during the year they were studied.
www.durex.com (2006)
Durex brand condoms started conducting an annual global survey on sexual attitudes and behavior in 2002. The survey has grown immensely and 317,000 people from 41 countries took part in the most recent one! Many of the findings are published on the Durex website including the fact that 94% of men and 80% of women masturbate.
Despite the fact that masturbation is extremely common for guys and girls, plenty of people are not comfortable with the act. A 1994 study actually found that about fifty percent of men and women who masturbate feel guilty about it and many more have what they report as 'mixed feelings' about masturbating. Much of this is due to misinformation and the negative messages we get about something that really isn't negative at all...
