Women Reveal Their Favorite Sex Position, & It’s Not What You Think

At this point, it’s no secret that for many people with vaginas, penetration alone is not enough to have an orgasm or even pleasurable sexual experience. While, fortunately, we’re moving in the right direction in terms of acknowledging that all parties involve should enjoy themselves, what we consider “sex” (penis-in-vagina intercourse) is still very penis-centric. There’s still the idea that if there happens to be clitoral stimulation, great! But that’s a bonus more than an expected outcome.

That’s why it’s so helpful to have access to data about the positions that work best for people with vaginas. An example of this is a recent survey conducted by Superdrug Online Doctor involving nearly 1,000 participants across genders living in both the United States and Europe ranging in age from 18 to 74 in which people who identified as women were asked which sex positions they enjoyed the most along with other questions about what turns them on.

Turns out, the women surveyed said that cowgirl (woman on top) was their favorite position and was ranked in the top spot by 30 percent of participants. Next up were doggy-style (top pick for 21 percent), missionary (20 percent) and 69 (13 percent). 

More: The Problem With the “Best Sex Position for Female Orgasm” Articles

As far as the position that helps women reach orgasm fastest, cowgirl came out on top again and was also ranked as the position that makes women feel the sexiest.

And when it came to their preference for what helps them reach orgasm best (and fastest), sex toys were the clear winner, with nearly one-third of participants listing them above dirty talk, watching porn with a partner, anal sex and BDSM.

More:Why the Pleasure Gap Is a Gender-Equality Issue

Women reported feeling sexiest when they wore lingerie followed by when they engage in dirty talk with their partner, practice BDSM, do role-playing and incorporate spanking. 

So what does all of this mean? Pleasurable sex can mean a lot of different things to different people, but it’s definitely time we look beyond just trying to squeeze out an orgasm from traditional penis-in-vagina, man-on-top missionary sex. There’s a lot more out there that can make sex a better experience for everyone.