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Oral sex has become a standard component of the heterosexual sexual script, though little is known about the level of pleasure men and women experience from giving and receiving oral sex and the extent to which relationship context is associated with levels of pleasure. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in giving and receiving oral sex, and associations with pleasure experienced and partner type. Participants were 899 heterosexual university students who reported on their sexual activities in their most recent sexual encounter in an online survey. Over two-thirds of participants reported that their last sexual encounter included giving and/or receiving oral sex. More women (59%) than men (52%) reported giving oral sex to their partner. More men (63%) than women (44%) reported receiving oral sex. Most men (73%) and women (69%) reported that receiving oral sex was ''very pleasurable.'' Though most participants rated giving oral sex as at least ''somewhat pleasurable,'' men were significantly more likely than women to report that giving oral sex was very pleasurable (52% vs. 28%). Overall, ratings of pleasure for giving oral sex were higher for men, but no gender differences were found for overall pleasure ratings of receiving oral sex. Regardless of gender, higher pleasure ratings were reported when giving and receiving oral sex with more committed partners compared to more casual ones. Findings highlight the utility of discussing gendered norms for sexual behaviour with young people, and including pleasure-enhancing information in sexual health education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research indicates that women with sexual problems may have different reasons for engaging in sex than women who are not experiencing sexual problems. The current study investigated whether reasons for sex differed by women reporting high versus low overall sexual functioning, as assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) (Rosen et al., 2000). As low desire and inability to achieve orgasm are the two most commonly reported sexual problems for women, the study also investigated whether women with and without problems specifically related to sexual desire or orgasm cited different reasons for sex. The sample consisted of 446 heterosexual women between the ages of 18 and 61 who completed an online questionnaire assessing reasons for sex and sexual functioning. Women with low sexual functioning overall were more likely to endorse insecurity reasons for sex, while women with high sexual functioning overall were more likely to endorse physical reasons for sex. Women experiencing low desire specifically were less likely to endorse emotional and physical reasons for sex than women without desire difficulties. Women experiencing orgasm difficulties specifically were more likely to endorse insecurity reasons for sex than women without orgasm difficulties. The variance accounted for was low in all cases. This research offers insights into the important but limited role sexual functioning may play in the broader context of women's sexual motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]