An Experimental Investigation of Sexual Scripts by Partner Gender: Anticipated Clitoral Stimulation and Partner Orgasm Pursuit Shape Women's Orgasm Expectations.

Research has found that bisexual women expect clitoral stimulation and orgasm more when hypothetically partnered with another woman versus a man, which is consistent with the widely documented heterosexual orgasm gap. The current research aims to (1) investigate "perceived partner orgasm pursuit" (i...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of Sexual Behavior Vol. 54; no. 6; pp. 2167 - 2185
Main Authors: Wetzel, Grace M., Wolfer, Carly, Carmichael, Cheryl L., Sanchez, Diana T.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jun2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=186805596&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 186805596
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00040002
        ASX
      jtl: Archives of Sexual Behavior
      issn: 00040002
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jun2025
      vid: 54
      iid: 6
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        186805596
        10.1007/s10508-025-03169-4
      ppf: 2167
      ppct: 18
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 1.1MB
      tig:
        atl: An Experimental Investigation of Sexual Scripts by Partner Gender: Anticipated Clitoral Stimulation and Partner Orgasm Pursuit Shape Women's Orgasm Expectations.
      aug:
        au:
          Wetzel, Grace M.
          Wolfer, Carly
          Carmichael, Cheryl L.
          Sanchez, Diana T.
        affil:
          https://ror.org/05vt9qd57 Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 53 Avenue E, Tillett Hall, 08854-8040, Piscataway, NJ, USA
          https://ror.org/00453a208 Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
          https://ror.org/00453a208 Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA
      su:
        Sexual excitement
        Sexual orientation
        Heterosexual men's sexual behavior
        Female orgasm
        Bisexual women
        Bisexual people's sexual behavior
      sug:
        subj:
          Sexual excitement
          Sexual orientation
          Heterosexual men's sexual behavior
          Female orgasm
          Bisexual women
          Bisexual people's sexual behavior
      keyword:
        Orgasm
        Orgasm gap
        Sexual scripts
        Orgasm
        Orgasm gap
        Sexual scripts
      ab: Research has found that bisexual women expect clitoral stimulation and orgasm more when hypothetically partnered with another woman versus a man, which is consistent with the widely documented heterosexual orgasm gap. The current research aims to (1) investigate "perceived partner orgasm pursuit" (i.e., the participant's perception that her partner is pursuing her orgasm) as a novel mechanism to explain this difference in orgasm expectations, and (2) demonstrate that manipulating the interpersonal sexual script with a male partner to include sufficient clitoral stimulation can increase orgasm expectations when women have sex with men. In Study 1, we found that bisexual or pansexual women (N = 457) partnered with a woman in a hypothetical scenario expected greater clitoral stimulation, partner pursuit of her orgasm, and likelihood of orgasm than those partnered with a man. In Study 2, bisexual or pansexual women (N = 362) who were partnered with a man in a hypothetical scenario that specified (1) clitoral stimulation or (2) opportunity to orgasm via her most reliable route expected her partner to pursue her orgasm and expected orgasm, at similar rates to women who were partnered with a woman whose sexual behavior was unspecified. On the contrary, women partnered with a man in a hypothetical scenario which specified vaginal intercourse only expected the lowest likelihood of orgasm. In both studies, condition predicted expected clitoral stimulation, which predicted perceived partner orgasm pursuit, which predicted orgasm expectations. This research suggests that sexual scripts explain differences in orgasm expectations by partner gender, and these expectations can be changed by shifting the sexual script at the interpersonal level to include sufficient opportunity for (and pursuit of) women's orgasm via clitoral stimulation. Findings are discussed in the context of contributors to and solutions for the orgasm gap.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N