Women are less likely to pursue orgasms if they are under a time constraint or have a selfish partner, according to a Rutgers University-led study. “There are contextual, societal and personal factors that likely create barriers that prevent women from feeling able to actively pursue orgasm,” said a Rutgers social psychology doctoral student who advocates for “orgasm equality” on Instagram, where she has more than 21,000 followers. According to the study, published in the Journal of Sex Research, women use cues and adjust their pursuit of an orgasm in each sexual encounter.

In a series of experiments, researchers had heterosexual women imagine themselves in a sexual scenario and consider how much time they had or how selfish their partner seemed—afterward, the subjects reported their outcomes based on how strongly they would go after an orgasm and how likely they would be to have one. The study indicated women who pursue orgasm as a goal are more likely to reach climax. Researchers suggested that men should tell their female partners that they want their pleasure to be a priority, without putting pressure on their partners to orgasm.

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