Men have twice as many sexual partners as women over the course of their lives, research suggests.
Men reported having twice as many different sexual partners as women. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
The
Health Survey for England found that men reported having 9.3 different
partners on average, with a quarter of men boasting of more than 10
conquests.
However a third of those questioned admitted they were only estimating the
number of notches on their bedposts.
By contrast, women had a mean average of 4.7 sexual partners in their lives so
far, with a quarter having just one. They were more likely to be certain of
the number of lovers they had had.
“More women than men reported having sexual intercourse with only one partner
of the opposite sex in their lifetime (24 per cent of women compared with 17
per cent of men), and conversely more men than women reported having sexual
intercourse with 10 or more partners of the opposite sex (27 per cent of men
and 13 per cent of women).”
Among older women, monogamy was even more common with 40 per cent of those
aged between 55 and 69 saying they had only ever had one sexual partner.
Older women were also far less likely to be sexually active, with 36 per cent
saying they had not had a partner in the past year. Overall a fifth of
respondents aged between 16 and 69 had been chaste.
The poll of 14,000 people, published by the NHS Information Centre on Thursday, suggested that younger generations were losing their virginity at ever earlier ages and taking more risks.
Its chief executive Tim Straughan said the annual report, which asked questions about sex for the first time, "paints a picture of sexual behaviour which is changing over the generations with younger women tending to begin having sex younger".
A fifth of men and one in seven women said they had had sex before their sixteenth birthday, and the median age for first sex was 17. Overall fewer than one in 10 of those questioned were still virgins.
But among 16 to 24 year-old women the proportion who had lost their virginity before 16 – which would mean their partners were breaking the law – rose to 27 per cent.
Although most said they used contraception, a fifth of young women had had to turn to the morning-after pill in the past year and 17 per cent of those aged between 16 and 34 had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.
In addition, 15 per cent of young women had had between two and four different sexual partners in the past year.
The report noted that the teenage pregnancy rate in England, although falling to a 20-year low in 2009 of 40 conceptions per 1,000 under-18s, “is still high when compared with Western Europe”.
“The prevention of unplanned teenage motherhood is a public health priority as it can have detrimental effects on the health and socioeconomic status of both mother and child.”
The Public Health Minister, Anne Milton, said: “Young people should think carefully before having sex - it's not something to rush into. Consider seriously if it's right for you, what contraception to use and the best way to protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections.”
Diane Abbott, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, said: “The rising numbers of girls having under-age sex is alarming. It is not a cost-free phenomenon. It poses public health policy challenges and social challenges. The underlying cause must be the ‘pornification’ of British culture and the increasing sexualisation of pre-adolescent girls.
Originally Posted by johndodger
John says:
October 24th, 2011 at 8:34 am
I am a husband who endured a nearly sexless marriage for 15 years. I can relate to every husband whom you quoted. I wanted desperately to be intimate with my wife more often....but got the cold shoulder over and over again. In the beginning I just thought it was normal....but after a few years of marriage I began to realize that my need for sex and intimacy was not being met in a meaningful way. I tried to encourage an atmosphere of love.....I did my best to meet all of her needs emotionally, spiritually and physically in a non sexual way.....to no avail. I hinted and prodded......still....nothing more than once a month at best. I was left feeling inadequate all the time.....when we would have sex.....I could not last very long because we had sex so little that the excitement was overwhelming when we would. So when we would have sex it would really only last for a minute or two and I would feel guilty. Then it seemed that she wanted it less and less until at one point we were having sex maybe once every three months or longer. This drove me to look at soft porn and that of coarse led to more main stream porn.....I hated it and I hated my wife for not being there for our marriage. I wanted out but knew divorce was not Gods way.....I also knew porn was not Gods wau either......I felt trapped....caught in this endless spiral of no sex with the women I loved and the horrible trap of porn. Some time in our 15 th year of marriage I began scouring the Internet to find out what other Christians had to say about "Sex in Christain Marriage" and I was shocked to find many websites like yours talking about the very things I was feeling. This gave me a feeling that God was hearing my crys. Every time I would look at porn I would be left feeling empty and I would pray for his forgiveness......all I wanted was a wife that desired me and wanted to have sex with me and be intimate. God met those prayers......and slowly I gained confidence to confront my wife and encourage her to read some of these web sites. She did reluctantly. I bought eBooks written by Christain authors that addressed these issues and when she would ask what I was reading I would put the eBook on her iPhone for her to read. She slowly began to focus on what was going on and began to read the things I was reading. God drew me to a place where I felt that I needed to confess my sin of porn to her and at that moment she realized what she had been doing all along. The road from that moment has not been perfect.....but it has been a road of healing.....healing takes time and can only be done by God. Today our marriage is much different. Sex occurrs multiple times a week and our relationship has strengthened through Gods Love. I would encourage all who are suffering in a sexless or near sexless marriage to put in the effort to bring about change......you may find it was the best thing you ever did
J (Hot, Holy & Humorous) says:
October 24th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
What a powerful testimony from John! 15 years is a loooooong time to hang in there without intimacy with your spouse, but healing can happen.Great post, Julie. I have heard from hubbies as well who are hurting - not merely from testicular vasocongestion, but deep emotional pain. There are also wives who are sex-starved in their marriages, which I know you have addressed in the past. We need to ask tough questions like you suggested, find some answers, and make marital intimacy a high priority. Thanks again for aiming at the heart of the issue and hitting it dead on.
David Patrick says:
October 24th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Wow, John's testimony is as strong as the blog post itself. Julie, I wonder if you could post his comment as a blog post or get him to write a guest post.
HMT says:
October 25th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
John, I am glad you worked through this. I would encourage wives who read this post to take it pretty seriously, because I can say that men think of sex as so much more than the act. You are telling him you love him when you make love with him.Many women don't realize that to men sex = love, at least on some levels. Not having sex (to you) doesn't mean you don't love him, but that's the way he takes it, I guarantee it.
Julie has mentioned some books on her website: For Women Only and its companion, For Men Only, by Shaunti Felthahn. My wife is reading the women's version and though she is a great gal, and has been a wonderful wife, most of the stuff in there, she didn't realize. Sexual refusal = rejection (Another one that women don't realize about men.) Too tired? You need to explain this, and give him an alternate (and very quick) date. A satisfied husband is a very grateful husband, and he will be changing your oil for you, taking you out to eat, and a whole bunch of other neat stuff. (If he's already doing that... holy cow, show him you love him by having a love making time with him. )
After reading the For Men Only, I'm realizing a whole bunch of stuff I didn't know about my wife. So guys, Don't forget your wives love to have their hand held, without any expectation of sex. They love it when we take care of things for them without being asked, or when we take care of the kids' homework with them, again, with no hidden expectations.
(It's a two way street then, but for heaven sakes, wives, once in a while, be sexual with your husband.)