There are plenty of misconceptions out there about anal sex, but the biggest one might be that nobody's having it: According to the results of a new study, at least one in three straight women in the U.S. has tried anal at some point in her life.
For the study, published earlier this month in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers analyzed data from the National Survey of Family Growth, including information from a nationally representative sample of 10,463 heterosexual women between the ages of 15 and 44.
Over a third of women surveyed (36.3%) reported having tried anal sex. But only 13.2% said they'd had it within the past 12 months. Women who were most likely to report having had anal sex were in their 20s, had no religious affiliation, and had higher levels of both income and education. And, while anal sex was equally common among women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, it was more common among those who were either married to or cohabiting with their partners than it was among single women.
A few of these factors — including being neither single nor affiliated with a religion — were also significantly correlated with women's likelihood of having had anal sex within the past year, which suggests those particular women might be into it more regularly. Other factors associated with having anal sex included having had sex with women, having had an unintended pregnancy, being younger than 16 at the time of first intercourse, and being treated for an STI within the past year. The researchers conclude that increased awareness of the need for condoms (yes, even in anal sex) may be particularly necessary for these populations.
It's important to keep in mind that this study only included women who self-identify as heterosexual. So, these results don't necessarily apply to people of all genders and sexual orientations. But, they do give us a better idea of the women who are more up for butt stuff — and there might be more of them than you thought.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT