While you probably know the gender pay gap is, sadly, alive and well, did you also know that there’s a fairly sizeable (and growing) masturbation gap too?
New research from sexual wellness brand Womanizer has found that the masturbation gap between men and women has grown from 36% last year, to 38.57% this year.
The masturbation gap looks at the rate that men and women masturbate and sees what the gap is between the genders. Read: How much more do men masturbate than women.
It found that, because there is a 38.57% gap between men and women, then if we were looking at a calendar year, women would have their first solo session on May 21 (i.e. this coming weekend!), while men would have been masturbating for the first four and a half months of the year already.
Masturbating brings a wealth of benefits. It can help to relieve stress, improve your mood, help you sleep better, and it can even improve your sex life too. (Knowing how to make yourself orgasm can better equip someone else to bring you to orgasm, after all).
Whether you DIY or use a sex toy, it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you do something that makes you feel safe and good.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Perhaps the way to close this frankly ghastly masturbation gap is to talk about it more. In 2020, singer Lily Allen said that more women should openly talk about masturbation “without guilt”.
“It’s still such a taboo subject but it’s something most people do. So why wouldn’t we talk about it with pride and without guilt?” she told BBC Radio 1 at the time.
“When a woman talks about masturbation, it’s always: ‘’Well you’re clearly not getting sex from a male partner so you must be undesirable – or disappointed with your partner’s ability.’’ It’s lazy, archaic and just not true. If you’re hungry, you don’t wait until your partner gets home to have a slice of toast!”
This prompted a YouGov poll that asked Brits whether we should talk more openly about masturbation – and 44% of respondents said both men and women should.
So, the next time you’re out out, or simply having a quiet one in with your closest gal pals, don’t be afraid to bring up. This is one gender gap we can close by sheer force of will.