Lesbian sexuality/female sexuality: Rethinking 'lesbian bed death'

Abstract

Lesbian sexuality/female sexuality: Rethinking 'lesbian bed death' Beginning in the early 1980s, sex researchers and sex therapists became interested in studying same-sex sexuality and romantic relationships. In part, this grew out of efforts to address the special needs of lesbians and gay men in psychotherapy and sexual counselling. But in addition, some sexologists were motivated by the belief that comparing the behaviour of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and heterosexuals could increase our understanding of the subtle interplay between sexuality and gender.Health professionals with a special interest in female sexuality have focused on studying lesbians and bisexual women, suspecting that more sexual differences exist between males and females than between women of different sexual orientations (Peplau, 2003). To the extent that this is true, the behaviour of women with other women presents an opportunity to study how women function sexually when there is no male influence. This research has mostly concentrated on two issues: the frequency of sex in lesbian relationships; and the plasticity of sexual orientation among women. The interest in lesbian sexuality: sexual frequency and 'lesbian bed death'Blumstein and Schwartz (1983) published a highly-regarded study comparing lesbian, gay male, heterosexual married and heterosexual unmarried couples. A major finding was that lesbian couples experienced less frequent sexual activity than others. Blumstein and Schwartz's work was followed by a spate of articles from a more clinical perspective (Hall, 1984;Loulan, 1984;Nichols, 1987). These papers noted the existence of lesbian couples whose genital sexual contact had, over time, become non-existent. Lesbians began to be seen as prototypes of sensual-rather-than-sexual women. Loulan's large survey (1984) that found that 78% of her 1,500 lesbian respondents were currently celibate. Faderman (1981) documented the historical precedent for romantic non-genital female relationships, called 'romantic friendships' in the 1800s, and later, the book Boston Marriages (Rothblum & Brehony, 1993) chronicled contemporary lesbian relationships of this sort. By the beginning of the 1990s the term 'lesbian bed death' had become well known in the gay community as a source of jokes, consternation, and intense debate.

Ecological Models of Sexual Satisfaction among Lesbian/Bisexual and Heterosexual Women

“…Matthews et al (2003) found no differences in sexual frequency rates of heterosexual versus lesbian women, while Iasenza (1992) found lesbians to be more sexually arousable and more sexually assertive compared to heterosexual women. Moreover, results from another study found that lesbians reported significantly fewer sexual problems and more frequent orgasm than heterosexual women (Nichols, 2004). Our findings complement these studies, demonstrating lesbians' increased sexual functioning with a comprehensive measure.…”

Sexual Satisfaction and Desire Discrepancy in Same Sex Women's Relationships

“…Instead, assumptions are often made about sexual satisfaction in gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) populations based on heterosexual samples or on a "simplistic use of gender socialization theory" (Iasenza, 2000, p. 59), whereby men (gay or otherwise) enjoy sex and will initiate it frequently and women (lesbian or otherwise) are more interested in relationship qualities and do not possess the same inclination toward or interest in sexuality (Biss & Horne, 2004). This simplistic use of gender socialization theory does not necessarily hold true for women in either same sex or other-sex relationships, and in fact sexual satisfaction appears to be an important component of both life and relational satisfaction for women, regardless of sexual orientation (Bancroft et al, 2003;Eldridge & Gilbert, 1990;Haavio-Mannila & Kontula, 1997;Henderson-King & Veroff, 1994;Hurlburt & Apt, 1993;Nichols, 2004).…”

“…For example, if someone has low sexual desire that matches the low desire of their partner, would they consider their "low" desire to be a problem (Davies et al, 1999)? Furthermore, inherent in the empirical research on desire discrepancy is the assumption that differences in desire are challenging to a couple's sexual satisfaction, which has some limited support in heterosexual couples (Davies et al, 1999) However, to date no research has explored whether desire discrepancy is necessarily experienced as a problem by nonclinical lesbian couples (e.g., participants who were not selected on the basis of being in therapy) and how it relates to sexual satisfaction (Matthews, Tartaro, & Hughes, 2003;Nichols, 2004).…”

Current Research on Sexual Response and Sexual Functioning Among Lesbian Women

“…Researchers have tried to decipher the declining effects of sexual desire in long-term relationships among women in same-and other-gender partnerships [44,45]. In lesbian women, this effect has been colloquially coined Blesbian bed death^and viewed historically as a negative consequence of long-term lesbian partnerships [11]. Comparisons of sexual frequency with mixed-sex and male same-sex couples have contributed to the assumption that women in samesex relationships have lower sexual desire.…”

“…Given the important role that gender plays in one's sexual experiences, it may be expected that lesbian women experience similar sexual problems to heterosexual women [9,10]. However, research suggests that women in lesbian relationships place a greater emphasis on non-genital intimacy compared to women in heterosexual partnerships [11]. Additionally, lesbian women report differences in regard to the frequency and duration of sexual activity [12], as well as the number of orgasms experienced within their sexual interactions [13].…”