Predictors of subjective sexual well-being among adults are largely consistent across different parts of the world.(Sex Research Update)(Survey)

Although there is a large and growing medical literature on adult sexual function and dysfunction, there has been relatively little research on what constitutes self-perceived sexual health and well-being. In a study funded by Pfizer, Laumann, Paik, Glasser et al. (2006) examined various aspects of sexual health and well-being among a sample of 27,500 men and women aged 40 to 80 years from 29 countries around the world including Canada. The authors sought to measure subjective sexual well-being by examining factors such as satisfaction with the emotional/physical aspects of relationships as well as satisfaction with sexual function and the importance of sexuality in a person's overall life. For example, respondents were asked to use Likert type scales to respond to questions such as "During the past 12 months, how physically pleasurable did you find your relationship with your partner to be?", "If you were to spend the rest of your life with your sexual function/ sexual health the way it is today, how would you feel about this?" and "How important a part of your overall life would you say that sex is?" (pp. 147, 148).

The authors used cluster analysis to group the countries into three clusters based on similarities and differences in survey responses. The first cluster consisted of 13 Western European and European linked Western countries including Canada, USA, UK, Sweden, France, and Australia. This cluster was designated as having a "gender equal sexual regime" where companionate marriage and equality between intimate partners represents a normative ideal. This cluster had generally high levels of sexual satisfaction. The second cluster was designated as having a "male-centered sexual regime" and included a mix of geographically and politically varied countries such as Algeria, Brazil, Italy, Turkey, and Korea. This cluster had middle levels of sexual satisfaction. The third cluster, also designated as having a "male-centered sexual regime" consisted of only 5 countries, China, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and was characterized as having low levels of sexual satisfaction. In all three clusters, men had higher levels of subjective sexual well-being ...