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The Role of Partner Gender

How Sexual Expectations Shape the Pursuit of an Orgasm Goal for Heterosexual, Lesbian, and Bisexual Women

Bibliographic Data

ID21208997
AuthorsKate Dickman (0009-0002-6965-3539, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Grace M Wetzel (0000-0003-1496-3767, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, corresponding author), Diana T Sanchez (0000-0002-8684-6183, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue5
Pages495-506
Publication date2025-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Psychological and Personality Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1948-5506 • E-ISSN: 1948-5514
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/19485506241235235
OpenAlexW4393949309
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited39

Previous research has established that gendered sexual scripts shape sexual behavior. This study seeks to expand prior work on orgasm disparities for women across sexual orientations by exploring the role of partner gender. Across two studies, we examined how the gender of women’s sexual partners influenced their orgasm goal pursuit. We compared lesbian and heterosexual women’s experience with their most recent partner in Study 1, and experimentally compared bisexual women partnered with a woman or a man in a hypothetical sexual encounter in Study 2. In both studies, women reported higher clitoral stimulation and orgasm expectations when partnered with a woman compared to a man. Moreover, partner gender had a significant indirect effect on women’s orgasm goal pursuit through clitoral stimulation and expectations for orgasm. These results suggest that sexual scripts associated with partner gender play a key role in the orgasm gap for women who have sex with men

Developmental psychology · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Lesbian · Orgasm · Psychoanalysis · Sexual dysfunction · Sociology · Gender Studies · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology · Sexual function and dysfunction studies · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works6
Citations per year6
Citation span2025 - 2026 (2)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 3

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