Indian wives bring sex out of closet- interesting findings

Indian wives bring sex out of closet


http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=41487

SOURAV SANYAL

Posted: Feb 02, 2005 at 1158 hrs IST

Sex and the Indian woman. There no stopping her now... A study on female sexuality by Chandigarh-based PGI’s psychiatry department has shown that Indian women seem to be discarding conventionally repressive standards of sexual behaviour for a more fulfilling marital life.

The findings, to be forwarded to the US-based Archives of Sexual Behaviour for publication, revealed that 66 pc of respondents admitted to pleasure from sexual experience while an astounding 95 pc said both partners were satisfied with sex lives. Conducted by doctors at PGI last year, the study covered hundreds of married women — mostly in the lower income bracket — in the 20-40 age bracket who had been married and staying continuously with spouses for the last three months; the department had obtained informed consent from them. The sample comprised mainly housewives (84 pc) followed by professionals (nine per cent), clerks (four per cent) and students (three per cent) with the majority having a family income of less than Rs 6,000. All subjects had heterosexual orientation. A majority of respondents (62 pc), with significantly higher sexual knowledge and attitude, were able to communicate sexual desires to their partners. Those who denied any anxiety or inhibition while performing sex and those (58 pc) who initiated the act had significantly better sex knowledge. The Indian woman is no longer hidden behind the purdah,’’ said Dr Jhirwal. Explaining the need for the study, Jhirwal, one of the investigators, said: ‘‘Female sexual health is often considered a taboo in Indian families. Scientific research on sexuality in India is almost exclusively focused on male sex disorders. There is a need to develop insight into female sexual functioning.’’ The study also examined the relationship of sexual knowledge and attitudes with sexual functioning with an aim to identify disorders. It was conducted using the ‘Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women’ which assesses areas such as frequency of sexual behaviour, fantasy, masturbation, satisfaction, preferences, anxiety, performance difficulties and the oft-quoted ‘Sex Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire’. An overwhelming 96 pc of the subjects considered sex an important aspect of life. While vaginal intercourse was the desired sexual behaviour for 56 pc women, 47 pc desired kissing, 42 pc foreplay, 29 pc mutual masturbation and seven per cent oral sex. Orgasmic pleasure was perceived from intercourse in 84 pc cases while 15 pc experienced it during foreplay as compared to 11 per cent who enjoyed it during mutual masturbation.