On the occasion of masturbation month, a survey carried out by the Wyylde platform outlines the contours of a freer female sexuality, but still hampered by stubborn taboos. Between the quest for appeasement, intimate exploration and transformation of couple practices, the results tell a deeply human story.
When pleasure becomes an inner refuge
There are discreet, almost invisible gestures that say a lot about our fragilities and our strategies for standing up. According to the study, 81% of women surveyed said they use masturbation as a way to manage stress or anxiety. A data far from being anecdotal, which repositions this practice at the heart of the mechanisms of emotional regulation.
Behind this figure, intimate experiences, often silenced. One of the participants confided: “When I feel my libido slipping away, I restart the machine, often in the shower. Enjoying makes me feel good, and also helps me get back to sleep when I have insomnia.”.
The testimony is simple, but it sheds light on a phenomenon well documented by science: orgasm leads to a release of endorphins and oxytocin, hormones involved in relaxation and calming. It is therefore not only a pleasure, but a real tool for physiological regulation.
In a society where anxiety disorders and insomnia are on the rise, particularly among women, this dimension deserves to be heard without judgment. She tells of a way of regaining, alone, control over your body and your emotions.
Exploring your desire: between objects, fantasies and new complicities
Beyond the soothing function, the study reveals a more profound transformation of the relationship to desire. Thus, 60% of women say they use a sex toy as their main source of arousal. A practice now largely democratized, which contrasts with that of men, 48% of whom rely on video pornography, compared to only 14% of women.
This shift is revealing: it testifies to a more embodied, more sensory relationship to female pleasure. The object becomes an extension of the body, a tool for exploration rather than a simple substitute.
Another striking lesson: masturbation is no longer only experienced alone. 67% of respondents say they practice it with their partner. A development that redraws the boundaries between individual intimacy and life as a couple.
A couple interviewed explains: “After 20 years of married life, we have always respected each other’s privacy. Masturbation is part of our balance: it in no way encroaches on our sexuality as a couple, quite the contrary.”.
This word says something precious: far from being a threat to the couple, solo sexuality can become a pillar, a breathing space that nourishes the relationship rather than eroding it.
Finally, the study challenges a stubborn preconceived idea: 75% of those questioned fantasize about situations that they would really like to experience. Fantasy is no longer an unrealistic escape, but an indicator of desire, an intimate compass that is still too rarely listened to.
The weight of silence: a taboo that resists
And yet, despite these developments, the silence persists. 72% of respondents believe that masturbation remains taboo in society. Among women, this feeling rises to 81%.
This discrepancy is striking: a widespread practice, but still difficult to name. As if the female body, even in the most absolute privacy, remained subject to a form of social control.
Jill Lecours Grimard, marketing director of Wyylde, sums up this paradox aptly:
“Solo pleasure is still too often relegated to silence, especially among women. However, it plays a key role in self-knowledge, personal balance, stress management and even life as a couple. The figures that we observe at Wyylde show a reality that is much richer and more uninhibited than received ideas. Lifting the taboo also means allowing everyone to explore their desires without shame or judgment.”.
Behind these words, a broader reality emerges: talking about masturbation is not just talking about sexuality. It’s about mental health, your relationship with your body, and individual freedom.
An intimate revolution still unfinished
Between physiological benefits, exploration of desire and relational balance, female masturbation appears today as a marker of overall health. A way, too, of reconciling body and mind in an era marked by tensions and contradictory injunctions.
There remains one last step to take: that of speech. Because this is perhaps where the essential thing is now at stake. No longer in the act itself, but in the collective capacity to recognize it, without embarrassment or judgment, as an integral component of well-being.