Depending on the survey and the time frame asked about, somewhere between a third and half of women report masturbating in any given month, and lifetime rates are considerably higher. A large U.S. national probability study found solo masturbation was prevalent across adult women, with the highest rates among those aged 18 to 39. A comparable British survey put the four-week figure at about 37 percent. Those numbers have been climbing over recent decades, and researchers widely suspect they still undercount the real rate because of how sensitive the topic remains, even on anonymous questionnaires.
What National Surveys Report
The most commonly cited figures come from large probability-based surveys in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior found that recent solo masturbation was common among adult women, with the behavior most frequent in the 18-to-39 age range and declining in older groups.1PubMed. Sexual behaviors, relationships, and perceived health status among adult women in the United States: results from a national probability sample In Britain’s National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, about 37 percent of women reported masturbating in the four weeks before the interview.2PubMed. Prevalence of masturbation and associated factors in a British national probability survey A nationally representative U.S. survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed that men still report higher lifetime and past-month masturbation rates than women, though both were common.3PubMed Central. Masturbation Prevalence, Frequency, Reasons, and Associations with Partnered Sex in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a U.S. Nationally Representative Survey
Among women who do masturbate, the frequency varies widely. A study of German women found the two most common patterns were two to three times a week (about 27 percent of those who masturbated) and once a week (about 26 percent).4The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Masturbatory Behavior in a Population Sample of German Women Another survey found roughly 40 percent of participants reported masturbating more than once a week but less than daily, with the next largest group doing so at least monthly but less than weekly.5Mathews Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. Female Masturbation Practices amongst Different Populations and Age Groups The takeaway is that there is no single “normal” frequency. Some women masturbate daily, some a few times a year, and a meaningful minority not at all.
Rates Have Been Rising Over Time
The share of women willing to report masturbation has increased measurably in recent decades. British data comparing two waves of the national sexual attitudes survey found that past-month masturbation prevalence among women rose from about 37 percent in the 1999–2001 wave to roughly 40 percent in the 2010–2012 wave.6PubMed. Trends in Masturbation Prevalence and Associated Factors: Findings from the British National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles Men’s rates also climbed over the same period, from about 73 percent to around 78 percent. Whether the increase reflects more women actually masturbating, more women feeling comfortable admitting it, or both is hard to tease apart. Researchers lean toward a mix of the two: genuine behavioral change driven by greater cultural openness, plus a reduction in the stigma that keeps people from reporting honestly.
How Age and Life Stage Shape the Pattern
A longitudinal study tracking people from late adolescence into their mid-thirties found that women’s masturbation frequency gradually increased through their twenties and peaked in the early thirties, followed by a slight decline.7PubMed. Masturbation Trajectories from Late Adolescence into Mid-Adulthood: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study This trajectory differs from men’s, which tends to start higher in adolescence and drop more steeply. For women, the twenties and early thirties appear to be a period of increasing sexual self-exploration rather than a plateau or decline.
Life events shift the picture further. During pregnancy, most research finds that sexual interest and activity decline, especially sharply in the third trimester, and remain reduced for several months after delivery. But the variation between individuals is enormous. What stands out in the pregnancy literature is not the average pattern but how differently women respond. Some maintain or increase solo sexual activity during pregnancy; others stop entirely. Postpartum, physical recovery, sleep deprivation, and hormonal shifts all play a role, but the timeline for returning to pre-pregnancy patterns varies widely.
Menopause introduces its own changes. A study of U.S. women aged 40 to 65 found meaningful differences across menopausal stages: perimenopausal women were more likely than postmenopausal women to report masturbating a few times a week, while postmenopausal women were more likely than premenopausal women to report doing so only about once a month.8PubMed Central. Masturbation frequency and experiences among US women aged 40-65 years: comparisons across different stages of the menopause transition Hormonal shifts associated with menopause can reduce desire and physical arousal, but they don’t erase the behavior. Many women continue masturbating well into later life, though the frequency often decreases.
Why the Real Numbers Are Likely Higher
Sex research has a well-documented reporting problem. When studies compare anonymous surveys to confidential ones (where participants know their identity could theoretically be linked to their answers), women in the confidential condition report lower rates of sensitive behaviors and perceive the questions as more threatening.9PubMed Central. Effects of anonymity, gender, and erotophilia on the quality of data obtained from self-reports of socially sensitive behaviors This effect is stronger for women than for men, which means the gender gap in masturbation rates is almost certainly narrower than surveys suggest. Even fully anonymous questionnaires don’t eliminate the gap entirely, since internalized shame can suppress honest reporting regardless of who is watching. When researchers have used methods designed to maximize anonymity, reported rates tend to inch upward. The honest takeaway is that any published percentage for women’s masturbation should be read as a floor, not a ceiling.
Relationship Status Matters, but Not the Way You Might Think
A common assumption is that masturbation is mainly something people do when they don’t have a partner. The evidence says otherwise. Research examining the relationship between masturbation and partnered sex found that whether someone had a partner and how sexually content they felt in the relationship were stronger predictors of masturbation than how often they were having sex with that partner.10PubMed. Masturbation and Partnered Sex: Substitutes or Complements? In other words, masturbation doesn’t simply fill a gap left by absent partnered sex. Plenty of women in satisfying relationships masturbate regularly, and the behavior appears to function as a complement rather than a substitute. Women who are less satisfied with their relationship may also masturbate more, but the picture is more nuanced than “single people masturbate, partnered people don’t.”
Why Women Masturbate
When researchers ask women directly why they masturbate, the answers go well beyond sexual release. In qualitative studies, women described using masturbation as a deliberate strategy for managing stress, falling asleep more easily, and coping with pain. Many framed it as self-care or “me-time,” placing it in the same mental category as exercise or a hot bath. Women frequently reported that masturbation left them feeling calm, relaxed, content, and in a better mood.11PubMed Central. Exploring the Role of Masturbation as A Coping Strategy in Women The theme of emotional regulation came up repeatedly: masturbation as a way to reset after a hard day, to manage anxiety, or simply to experience pleasure on one’s own terms.
This framing matters because it challenges the older clinical view, still lodged in popular culture, that masturbation is purely about unmet sexual need. For many women, it serves psychological and physiological functions that have little to do with whether they have a partner or how often they’re having sex.
Body Image, Shame, and Cultural Context
How a woman feels about her body is linked to her experience of masturbation, though the relationship isn’t identical across all groups. In one study, European American women showed a positive connection between body image satisfaction and masturbation practice. For African American women in the same study, body image was not related to masturbation frequency.12Psychology of Women Quarterly. The Use of Self-Pleasure: Masturbation and Body Image Among African American and European American Women Broader research has found that body image satisfaction has a weak but positive relationship with orgasm frequency during masturbation and a negative relationship with orgasmic difficulty.13PubMed Central. Body Image, Orgasmic Response, and Sexual Relationship Satisfaction: Understanding Relationships and Establishing Typologies Based on Body Image Satisfaction In plain terms, women who feel more comfortable in their bodies tend to find masturbation more pleasurable, though the effect size is modest and other factors clearly matter more.
Guilt and shame remain powerful influences. Research on women’s attitudes toward masturbation found that younger women, women who identified as non-White, and those who held more religiously fundamentalist beliefs were more likely to report negative feelings about the practice.14Texas Woman’s University. Women’s masturbation: an exploration of the influence of shame, guilt, and religiosity This doesn’t mean these women don’t masturbate. Many do but feel conflicted about it, which can dampen the positive emotional effects that other women report. The interplay between behavior and feeling is important: prevalence data that only asks “did you?” misses the question of “how did you feel about it?”
Vibrator Use Is More Common Than Most People Assume
A nationally representative U.S. study found that about 53 percent of women had used a vibrator at some point, and the findings challenged several misconceptions.15PubMed. Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use by women in the United States: results from a nationally representative study Vibrator users scored higher on most measures of sexual function, including desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm, compared to non-users. They were also more likely to have had a recent gynecological exam and to have performed genital self-examination. About 72 percent of vibrator users reported never experiencing genital symptoms associated with use, countering fears about desensitization or injury. Among women who have sex with women, vibrator use was even more common: over three-quarters reported a history of use during solo masturbation or with a female partner.16The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Prevalence and Characteristics of Vibrator Use Among Women Who Have Sex with Women
The association between vibrator use and better sexual function does not mean vibrators cause better function. Women who are more sexually curious, more comfortable with their bodies, or more motivated to pursue pleasure may be more likely to try vibrators in the first place. Still, the data offer reassurance for women who worry that vibrator use is unusual or harmful. The majority of users reported no adverse effects, and the correlation with positive sexual health markers is consistent across multiple studies.
Pornography and Erotica
About 60 percent of women in a large internet-based study reported consuming some form of pornography in the past month, compared with about 92 percent of men.17PubMed. Pornography Consumption, Modality and Function in a Large Internet Sample The primary purpose people gave for viewing pornography was to enhance masturbation, but many endorsed other uses as well. One of the clearest gender differences was in format: women were far more likely than men to consume written pornography (erotica, fan fiction, literotica-style platforms), while videos dominated men’s consumption. This finding aligns with a broader pattern in sexuality research suggesting that women’s arousal is often more responsive to narrative context, emotional framing, and imagination than to purely visual stimuli, though there is enormous individual variation.
How Medications Can Change the Picture
Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are well known for dampening sexual desire and function. Research on early-life exposure adds a more specific wrinkle: women who used SSRIs before age 16 reported lower solitary sexual desire and lower masturbation rates in adulthood compared to women without that history.18PubMed Central. Antidepressant Use During Development May Impair Women’s Sexual Desire in Adulthood Interestingly, partnered sexual activity was not affected in the same way, suggesting that the medications specifically impacted the drive toward solo sexual behavior. This is a single study and shouldn’t be read as proof of a permanent effect, but it raises questions about whether early pharmacological exposure during sexual development has lasting consequences for how the brain processes solitary arousal.
For adult women currently taking SSRIs, reduced desire and difficulty reaching orgasm during masturbation are among the most commonly reported side effects. If you’re experiencing this, it’s worth discussing with your prescriber. Dose adjustments, timing changes, or switching to a different class of medication can sometimes help without sacrificing the mental health benefits.
Directed Masturbation in Clinical Settings
Masturbation isn’t only a private behavior; it also has a recognized role in treating sexual dysfunction. Cognitive-behavioral therapy protocols for female orgasmic disorder commonly include directed masturbation exercises alongside other techniques like Kegel exercises, communication training, and systematic desensitization.19PubMed Central. Behavioral Therapies for Treating Female Sexual Dysfunctions: A State-of-the-Art Review The idea is straightforward: women who have never or rarely experienced orgasm can learn what works for their body in a low-pressure, self-directed setting before translating that knowledge to partnered encounters. Directed masturbation programs have been used in clinical practice for decades and remain one of the most evidence-supported behavioral interventions for anorgasmia. They are also used more broadly in sex therapy to help women reduce anxiety about sexual response, reconnect with their bodies after trauma or illness, and build sexual confidence.
Masturbation Across the Primate Family
One of the more interesting pieces of context for understanding women’s masturbation is that it is not uniquely human. Masturbation has been documented in roughly 50 species of female primates across all major groups of living anthropoids.20ResearchGate. Masturbation in non-human primates Female primates actually show more varied masturbation techniques than males, incorporating stimulation of the entire ano-genital region and sometimes the breasts. Tool use makes an appearance: orangutans prepare sticks of suitable size, bonobos use pieces of liana, and capuchin monkeys use plant parts for vaginal stimulation. The widespread presence of masturbation across the primate order suggests it is an ancestral behavior with deep evolutionary roots rather than a quirk of modern human culture. Whatever social norms tell us about masturbation, the biology tells a different story: this is something female bodies have been doing for millions of years.