This scientific paper with a clear but… long title (“Differences in Orgasm Frequency Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women in a U.S. National Sample”) investigates what is known as “the orgasm gap”, that is, the differences in the frequency of orgasms between men and women, whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual, among a sample of approximately 50,000 people in the United States.

This article concludes that during sex, straight men are more likely to say they almost always reach orgasm (95%), followed by gay men (89%), bisexual men (88%), lesbian women (86%), bisexual women (66%), and straight women (65%).

And when women are compared to each other, those who reach orgasm most often are the most likely to: receive cunnilingus, have sex for longer periods of time, be more satisfied in their relationship, ask for what they want in bed, compliment their partner in bed, have sex over the phone or in messages, wear sexy lingerie, try new positions, get anal stimulation, role play, express love during sex.

And the results indicate that the “orgasm gap” can be reduced by encouraging a greater variety of activities during sex between men and women, and by combating socio-cultural representations such as the stigma surrounding female pleasure, or the pressure put on women regarding their appearance and weight. And the fact that lesbian women experience more orgasms than heterosexual women indicates that there is potential for improvement among heterosexual women.