Women are more likely than men to consider ending a relationship due to sexual problems.
- An unfulfilled sex life can lead to a breakup.
- This phenomenon is more common in women than men, according to a new study.
- The study included 19,446 participants aged 18 to 79 from Austria, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, France, Lithuania and Russia.
Women are more likely than men to consider ending a relationship due to “sexual disagreements”, according to a new study mixing sexology and psychology.
Previous research has primarily focused on the link between sexual satisfaction and relationship stability, but it has rarely explored how sexual disagreements can lead to breakup. The researchers therefore decided to carry out this study to fill this gap and better understand the impact of sexual disagreements on the propensity to separate.
Sex and separation: 19,446 people surveyed
The study included 19,446 participants aged 18 to 79 from Austria, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, France, Lithuania and Russia. Separation propensity was assessed by asking participants whether they had considered breaking up with their partner in the past year. The frequency of “sexual disagreements” was measured using a question asking about the frequency of sex-related arguments in the past twelve months.
Researchers found that compared to those who never have such disagreements, women who frequently have sexual problems with their spouses are 13.1 percent more likely to consider a separation. In contrast, men with frequent sexual disagreements had only a 5% increase in the likelihood of separation compared to those who had no disagreements.
Sex and separation: women more impacted than men
“This relationship between disagreements and the tendency to separate is, surprisingly, stronger among women than among men. Even if the couple does not have disagreements in other areas, such as money, family relationships or child rearing, discrepancies in the sexual domain can contribute to the propensity for separation”, conclude the authors of the investigation.
These results suggest that sexual disagreements have a greater impact on women than on men and should be taken into account by couples therapists.
This study also indicates that maintaining good communication and mutual understanding of sexual needs can be crucial to a couple’s longevity. Future research could focus on ways to improve sexual satisfaction and reduce relationship disagreements, in order to foster a more harmonious and lasting relationship.
