These answers come from more than 4,000 English-speaking women from around the world and more than 3,000 women in the US who told researchers how they like to get down and dirty. The study was funded by For Goodness Sake, a company that researches intimate topics and creates products such as sex toys. The company did have a hand in designing and publishing the study, and one of the researchers is a consultant for the company. Big shocker: There’s not much other research about what techniques women like in bed. Science tends to focus on the objects that do the penetrating, whether they be a penis or a sex toy, and not on what women like to do either during masturbation or sex with a partner.
The First Technique: Angling
The first technique that the researchers asked about is angling, or “rotating, raising, or lowering the pelvis/hips during penetration to adjust where inside the vagina the toy or penis rubs.” Nearly 88 percent of women reported using this technique. Some women prefer to angle their hips high while others drop them low. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to help her with angling, although you can offer to prop a pillow under her hips.
The Second Technique: Shallowing
The second most common technique women used was shallowing — or touching — just inside of the vagina. About 84 percent of women used it either alone or with a partner. Shallowing can be done with the tip of the penis, the tongue or lips, a fingertip, or a sex toy. About 40 percent of the women who tried it said that shallowing gave them greater pleasure, about 25 percent reported a stronger orgasm, and 10 percent said it made them more likely to orgasm.
The Third Technique: Rocking
The third technique, rocking, was used by about 76 percent of women. Rocking involves rubbing the base of the penis or sex toy against the clitoris. It requires staying all the way inside of the vagina and not thrusting in and out.
The Fourth Technique: Pairing
About 70 percent of women used pairing, or stimulating the clitoris with a sex toy or either person’s fingers, during penetration. These last two techniques drive home an important message: Don’t forget the clitoris.
The Bottom Line
If you haven’t tried these techniques in bed, statistics are on your side that your partner will probably like it. But if you take home one lesson from this study, let it be that not every woman likes the same things during sex. When in doubt, do a survey of your own and just ask. After all, knowledge is power.
