Roughly 94 percent of women have masturbated at least once in their lifetime, based on a 2019 study of German women. In the United States, about 40 percent of women report having masturbated within the past month. These numbers vary by country, age, and how the survey is conducted, but the overall picture is consistent: masturbation is a common part of most women’s sexual lives.
Lifetime vs. Recent Activity
There’s an important distinction between “ever” and “recently.” Lifetime rates tend to be high, with that 94 percent figure from Germany representing the upper range of what large surveys find. Monthly rates are lower and more variable. A 2012 study of Portuguese women found about 29 percent had masturbated in the past month. A 2015 U.S. survey put the figure at roughly 40 percent. And a study of women aged 60 to 75 across four European countries found that 27 to 40 percent had masturbated in the preceding month, depending on the country.
Among women who do masturbate regularly, the most common frequency is one to three times per week. Frequency tends to decline with age, particularly after menopause, though a significant portion of older women remain sexually active through self-stimulation.
These Numbers Are Likely Undercounts
Researchers at Ohio State University found that women’s survey responses about sexual behavior shift depending on who might see the answers. Women who believed their responses could be read by others gave more “socially acceptable” answers than women who believed they were hooked up to a lie detector. The lie-detector group reported sexual behaviors much closer to what men typically report.
This finding matters because many of the most widely cited sex surveys rely on face-to-face interviews, a format that tends to push women toward understating behavior that feels stigmatized. Women appear to feel pressure to avoid being seen as promiscuous or overly sexual, even though masturbation is a solo activity. The real percentages for both lifetime and monthly masturbation are almost certainly higher than what surveys capture.
How Women Masturbate
Decades of research paint a remarkably consistent picture of technique. Clitoral stimulation is overwhelmingly the primary method. In a 2013 study, 86.8 percent of women reported touching the clitoris as their main approach. Earlier research by Alfred Kinsey in the 1950s found 84 percent focused on the clitoral and labial area, and Shere Hite’s landmark survey found 73 percent stimulated the clitoral area with their hand while lying on their back.
Vaginal penetration plays a much smaller role than popular culture suggests. Only about 20 percent of women in Kinsey’s data used vaginal insertion during masturbation, and Hite found that just 1.5 percent of women used vaginal entry as their primary technique. Among women who mainly stimulate the clitoris, only about 5 percent sometimes also penetrate vaginally, and another 5 percent always do.
Other methods include pressing the thighs together rhythmically (about 3 to 4 percent as a primary method), using water pressure from a shower or faucet (about 23 percent report using this at least sometimes), and pressing against a pillow or soft object (about 16 percent). Vibrator use has become increasingly common: roughly 21 percent of women in a 2013 study reported using vibrators or inserting objects.
The Gender Gap in Reported Rates
Men consistently report higher rates of masturbation than women, but the gap may be narrower than it appears. In the same 2015 U.S. survey that found 40 percent of women had masturbated in the past month, 64 percent of men said the same. That’s a 24-point gap on paper. But given the evidence that women underreport sexual behaviors more than men do, the true difference is likely smaller. Cultural expectations shape not just what women do but what they’re willing to say they do.
Physical Effects on the Body
Orgasm triggers the release of dopamine and oxytocin, two hormones that elevate mood and counteract cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. This is why masturbation can feel like a reset button after a stressful day. The hormonal shift also helps explain several of its documented physical effects: reduced tension, improved sleep, better focus, and temporary pain relief.
For women specifically, masturbation can ease menstrual cramps. During pregnancy, it can relieve lower back pain and release built-up sexual tension that often accompanies hormonal changes. In older women, regular self-stimulation helps reduce vaginal dryness and can make partnered sex less painful by maintaining blood flow and tissue elasticity in the vaginal area.
There are no known physical risks. It doesn’t cause infertility, hormonal imbalance, or any of the other harms that persistent myths attribute to it. The only scenario where it becomes a concern is if it interferes with daily responsibilities or relationships, which is rare.