'Not Tonight, Honey - I'd Rather Read a Book'

iVillage Study Unveils Hard Hitting Truths On Women and Their Married Sex Lives -  Revealing That Most Married Women Would Rather Sleep, Read or Catch a Movie Than Have Sex With Their Spouse

Sex Study Conducted in Conjunction with Launch of "iVillage Pregnancy & Parenting" Site

NEW YORK, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Not tonight honey, I have a headache" has a whole new meaning, according to a new sex study from iVillage, the essential digital brand for women.  The study, which coincides with the launch of iVillage's Pregnancy and Parenting site, http://www.ivillage.com/pregnancy-parenting, reveals that two-thirds of married women admit they would rather be doing something else rather than having sex with their spouses.  

Sixty-three percent of married women said they would prefer to catch up on an extra hour of sleep, watch a movie or read a book among other activities than have sex with their spouse.  However the study also found that 32% are extremely or very happy with their sex life and about half (45%) responded they were happy or somewhat happy.  A mere 16% found that they were not at all happy with their sex lives.

The satisfaction most women feel about their sex lives may be rooted in familiarity.  More than eight in ten (81%) women describe their sex life as predictable, based on location (70%), position (67%), time of day (56%), duration (52%) and foreplay (46%), while one in four said they did not.

"The iVillage study shows that not all housewives are desperate – surprisingly they are quite content and fulfilled with their predictable sex lives," said Liz Zack, Editor, iVillage Pregnancy & Parenting.  "Perhaps that's because sex is not a priority when it comes to personal time.  Today's married women lead such busy lives that they consider rest and relaxation a better self indulgence."

Husbands don't fret!  You won't be confined to your side of the bed every night!  The study also provides good news with half of women (48%) saying that they indeed married the best sex of their life.  However, 62% of women admit they have fantasized about having sex with someone other than their spouse, and one in ten has done so.

Children had an impact on how women felt about their spouses; women who had children were significantly more likely to try something new in bed with their spouse, say they married the best sex of their lives, and claim they had better sex after marriage than those who did not have children.

About the survey

The survey was conducted via an online quantitative survey by Insight Express using their e-RDD recruitment methodology. e-RDD is a sampling technique in which potential respondents are recruited across tens of thousands of constantly changing websites across the internet rather than just a few highly trafficked portals.  A total of 2,000 completes were received over a 14-day period, between March 22, 2010 and April 5, 2010.  Respondents were required to be married women with a 60/40 split of those with and without children.  All results reported are based on total answering (all results based on W18-49 n=1,027) and do not include those that declined to answer.

About iVillage

With approximately 34 million unique visitors per month (comScore April 2010), iVillage is the largest content-driven community for women on the web, where they can find the most meaningful content, real-life conversations and the tools they need for their busy lives. The site focuses on categories that best serve women's needs, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network, Astrology.com and GardenWeb. In addition, iVillage enjoys a strategic partnership with BlogHer, the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online. iVillage Inc., acquired by NBC Universal, Inc. in May 2006, is based in New York City, and is part of the NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks Group.  Join iVillage's Facebook group at www.facebook.com/ivillage and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ivillage.

SOURCE iVillage