What is going on in the French room? Inserm and ANRS-Emerging Infectious Diseases surveyed 31,518 people aged 18 to 89, representative of the population, in France but also, for the first time, in overseas territories. The first results of the “Context of sexualities in France 2023” survey for the metropolis were presented on Wednesday November 13. This is the fourth national survey on this intimate subject since 1970. The previous one dates back to 2006.
In nearly ten years, the sexual practices of the French have evolved. Thus, the median age at first sexual intercourse, that is to say the age at which half of the population had their first intercourse, has increased slightly for both sexes. In 2019-2023, it was 18.2 years for women and 17.7 years for men. A trend which is also observed in other countries and which is partly due to the Covid epidemic, according to the authors.
Increase in age of first sexual intercourse
The average number of sexual partners over a lifetime has, on the other hand, increased in all generations, between 18 and 69 years old, even if the gap is still marked between women (7.9 in 2023 compared to 4.5 in 2006) and men (16.4 in 2023 compared to 11.9 in 2006). The definition of sexual partner would perhaps not be the same for everyone, suggests Nathalie Bajos, sociologist and research director at Inserm: “Women would only count the men who count”.
The repertoire of sexual practices has also diversified. In 2023, 72.9% of women and 92.6% of men aged 18-69 reported having already practiced masturbation and 57.7% and 38.9% anal penetration. This diversification is especially notable among women, according to the survey. « These developments show the broadening of sexual repertoires observed since the beginning of the 1970s, which outlines a much more diversified sexuality and less and less restricted to intercourse with vaginal penetration. analyze the authors who underline, here too, still marked gaps between the declarations of women and that of men.
The arrival of digital technology has also revolutionized behavior: 33% of women and 46.6% of men have had a sexual experience online with another person (connection to a dedicated site, meeting a partner or exchanging images intimate). The survey also reveals a diversity of sexual orientations: 8.4% of women and 7.5% of men have already had at least one same-sex partner. “These experiences are much more common among people aged 18 to 29 and for the first time in 2023, women report more homosexual relations than men”specifies the investigation.
Sexual activity decreases
If practices diversify, sexual activity decreases, paradoxically. The number of sexual relations in the last 12 months as well as the frequency of intercourse in the last 4 weeks “decreased over time”, for both sexes and in all age groups. “In 1992, 86.4% of women aged 18 to 69 had had sexual intercourse in the past year; this proportion increased to 82.9% in 2006 and to 77.2% in 2023. Likewise, the percentage of men who had sexual intercourse during the year increased from 92.1% in 1992 to 89.1 % in 2006 and 81.6% in 2023”. This decline, however, is much less marked among people who live as a couple. And it is often experienced well by women, especially the youngest and the oldest.
The survey also shows that sexual life continues at advanced ages (for populations who do not reside in Ephad): 56.6% of women and 73.8% of men remain sexually active between 50 and 89 years.
Overall, the French people surveyed said they were satisfied with their sexuality (45.3% of women and 39% of men). “Sexual satisfaction is higher today, at all ages, than it was in 2006 for both sexes, except between ages 30 and 39 for women and after age 60 for men,” However, the authors specify. “The discourse of saying that gender equality and feminism destabilize men in their sexuality is not what the survey shows,” adds Nathalie Bajos.
The investigation, however, revealsa worrying picture of sexual violence. In 2023, 29.8% of women aged 18-69 reported having experienced forced sex or attempted forced sex, compared to 15.9% in 2006. Among men, the figures increased from 4.6% to 8%. .7%. “These developments may reflect both an increase in the ability to qualify acts of violence and an increase in the frequency of such events, but also a greater ease in discussing them in the context of research,” observe the authors. Notable fact: the increase in reports of violence is particularly marked among 18-29 year olds.