Couples in Austria, U.S., Spain Have Best Sex Lives

Couples in Austria, U.S., Spain Have Best Sex Lives, Study Says

April 19 (Bloomberg) — Middle-aged and older people in Austria, the U.S., Spain and Canada are more satisfied with their sex lives than counterparts in East Asia and the Middle East, a study released today showed.

Equality between men and women plays an important role in attitudes about sex, according to research by the University of Chicago. The study of 27,500 adults aged between 40 and 80 in 29 countries also showed that Japanese and Taiwanese people were the least satisfied with sex, while residents of Turkey, Egypt and Algeria were in the middle.

The research is the first of its kind to compare sexual behavior and attitudes among middle-aged and older people worldwide, the authors said. A majority of people over 40 remain sexually active in all countries. Societies in East Asia and the Middle East, where men have a more dominant status over women, showed the lowest marks for sexual satisfaction, the authors said.

“Male-centered cultures where sexual behavior is more oriented toward procreation tend to discount the importance of sexual pleasure for women,” said Edward Laumann, professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and lead author of the study, in a press release on the university’s Web site.

The study included large numbers of respondents who identified themselves as Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist. The research showed that feelings of sexual well-being are in-line with overall happiness. Men in all countries rated their sexual health and well-being 10 percentage points higher on average than women.

Sex Important

In western nations, two-thirds of men and women reported their sexual relationships were satisfying and 80 percent were happy with their ability to have sex. About half of men and a third of women said sex was extremely or very important in their lives.

In Middle Eastern nations, 50 percent of men and 38 percent of women said their sex lives were satisfying, the report said. About 70 percent said they were happy with their ability to have sex and 60 percent of men and 37 percent of women said sex is important.

In East Asian countries, about a quarter of men and women said their sex lives were satisfying and two-thirds of men and half of women were happy with their ability to have sex. Twenty- eight percent of men said sex was important, while 12 percent of women did.

The survey was funded by Pfizer Inc., the makers of the Viagra erectile dysfunction drug. An article on the survey is published in the April issue of the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Brian Lysaght in London at blysaght@bloomberg.net.

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