Sexual behavior correlates of female orgasm and marital happiness

The present study was designed to investigate sexual behavior correlates of marital happiness and female orgasm. Forty-eight female students of Baylor University who were 20 to 35 years old and had been married at least 2 years participated in the survey. A specially compiled 131-item marital relations questionnaire provided data for an intercorrelational analysis. Marital happiness, fidelity, and experience of orgasm correlated with certain specific sexual behaviors. These variables were related also to dissatisfaction with marital sex, which is consistent with previous research. However, when dissatisfaction resulting from performing less desired sexual acts was separated from dissatisfaction resulting from not performing desired sexual acts, the correlations differed, often markedly. Thus, the data suggest that unitary measures of dissatisfaction with marital sex may obscure meaningful differences. Also, information was obtained concerning the orgasmic and multiple orgasmic experience of the women, their extramartial experience, and their relative use of and preference for various intercourse positions and noncoital sexual activities.