Why Women Hate Using Condoms Just As Much As Men

A new study deems condoms the least popular contraceptive for women.

By Melissa Noble — Last updated on Sep 12, 2022

Photo: MRAORAOR / Shutterstock

"Do you have protection?"

"Come on, baby. It's fine."

Does this conversation sound familiar? Have you had this same interaction during a one-night stand or even with your long-term partner? Well, you wouldn't be the only one.

Many people have this interaction at some point and end up in the same situation, arguing over using a condom during sex.

Similar to life's taxes and inevitable death, nothing is certain in sex other than men bemoaning condoms and women insisting on them. It's what we are taught to expect, yet women may just be about to flip this scenario upside down.

Though it's not a recent discovery, a 2008 study conducted by researchers at The Kinsey Institute in Indiana suggests that women actually reported a decreased satisfaction from condoms in numbers almost as staggering as men.

The researchers had the women participants answer a questionnaire about what contraceptives they use, and how these methods affect their sexual enjoyment. What the results brought was shocking.

It turns out that back in 2008 condoms — bless their latex souls — were consistently to blame for a lackluster romp between the sheets.

However, don't throw aside condoms just yet. The study also looked into other ways to achieve sexual satisfaction and the use of condoms gets a raving review.

Aside from in-the-moment sexual enjoyment, researchers also asked about overall sexual satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction is a combination of sexual self-esteem and relationship fulfillment.

Ironically, women who used condoms and hormonal birth control reported the highest rates of sexual fulfillment, even higher than those who don't use condoms at all. So maybe condoms aren't the ones to blame.

This little nugget of information is a definite head-scratcher.

It would be understandable if a woman reported high sexual satisfaction if they were in a committed relationship, but then why use condoms and birth control? Perhaps these overly vigilant types feel the need to answer researcher questions more positively.

Women are such a complex breed, as any person should be. But what we want to point out here is that we are finally discussing sex in regards to how women feel about it. We finally get to look through the female lens of sexuality.

It begins to answer questions about contraceptive methods and women's sexuality which, as Stephanie Sanders, lead researcher and associate director of The Kinsey Institute, points out, is "an area largely ignored by researchers."

"This study is particularly important because women (50% of the sexual experience) are finally asked about their feelings toward condoms... The public health community has paid little attention to women's sexual experiences with contraceptive methods, especially condoms," Sanders says. "If women think condoms detract from sexual pleasure, they may be less inclined to use them consistently."