It’s been a long-held belief that men who are successful in their careers are also successful and satisfied in their sex lives. No one thinks there is anything unusual about the male CEO, celebrity, senior politician or leader who appears with his newest trophy wife or girlfriend.
So perhaps it was not surprising that a Harvard study confirmed this belief by showing that men who are happy in their bedrooms on an average earn about $141,000 per year more (than sexually unhappy men) at the peak of their careers.
But what about female leaders? Are female executives, senators and pro athletes as sexually well off as their male counterparts? Recent studies suggest that, at least for the present, the answer is no.
Luckily, women are not waiting on men to close the sexual satisfaction gap between male and female C-leaders. Instead, female leaders who owned and led firms in the FemTech (global value of US$25 billion) and SexTech (globally worth US$30 billion) sectors are delivering services, information, and products to help female leaders reach their sexual potential.
The challenges that these firms face in helping women of all types are significant, but the challenges in helping C-Suite female leaders are distinct. Sexual wellness firm Womanizer, partnering with woman-focused company The What released a study on high-level women, and, disappointingly, the results suggested that a female CEO may have a less satisfying sex life than even her male secretary.
However, the study results do not outline a stereotypical sexually frustrated, sex-agnostic or “frigid” career woman. Instead, the research pointed to a complex picture of the mind frames and goals of C-Suite female leaders, with many of them eager to reach their sexual potential. Some takeaways from the research are outlined below:
Lack of Sex Education:
To begin with, in their youth, these women received little to no formal sex education. In fact, only 3% of these elite women reported having received formal sex education from school or home in their youth. Instead, they received their knowledge of sex from a mix of the Internet, magazines and books, and friends.
Moreover, under this spotty sex education, 77% did not learn that women deserved to experience pleasure, and 70% did not learn anything about the importance of (female) consent to sexual acts. Worst of all, 62% experienced shame around the topic of sex.
Lack of a Positive Message Around Sex:
Many or most male youths also receive patchy sex education. However, one message that young men do receive is that sex is great, and they should actively seek to have as much of it as they can. As one National Center for Biotechnology Information paper shows, sexually successful young men are viewed as “studs” or “champions” and they are much more likely to view sex as positive and pleasurable.
For women, this is often untrue. In fact, many women are more likely to harbor negative feelings around sex. As WOW Tech marketing head Stephanie Keating explains, “[we want] to facilitate conversations amongst women about pleasure and all that it brings our lives.
For many women, experiencing self-pleasure builds confidence, comfort, and agency – yet 75% of us were not taught that sex should be pleasurable. Traditional sex education has failed us. For too many women, pleasure is associated with shame. That limits us in so many other aspects of our lives.”
Realization of the link between Sex and Confidence:
Although these women elites had not been armed early on with correct and empowering messages about sex, 51% of them saw a sexually satisfying life as having an important impact on their careers, social lives, and health.
These women felt that a happy sex life translated into higher confidence, lower stress, and having the feeling of being “empowered” and “powerful.” In sum, whether or not a female venture capitalist, best-selling author or Nobel laureate is getting good sex, she knows good sex is vitally important.
Good Sex as a Career Asset:
These elite women also understood that there are distinct communication skills necessary for a healthy and fulfilling sexual relationship, such as the need to express one’s desires or preferences.
They also know that learning these bedroom skills could be of use elsewhere. In simpler terms, ensuring your needs are met in bed can help ensure that they are met in the boardroom, laboratory, trading floor or parliament.
As sexologist Jessica O’Reilly, PhD., comments, “Sexual fulfillment, relationship fulfillment and life fulfillment are all positively correlated. It follows that investing in your relationships and sex life (however you define it), as well as fulfilling those needs, leads to greater self-assurance, improved mood, increased motivation, and even greater assertion skills — all of which can benefit your career.”
Luckily, experts, products and services in the previously mentioned FemTech and SexTech sector are providing more help than ever to C-Suite ladies who want to excel in the bedroom (and, by extension, boost their careers).
Nowadays, women of all career levels have easier access to everything from adult toys to online sex therapy. As Keating details, “Our flagship products were created to help women achieve personal sexual fulfilment and their pleasure potential.”
All in all, female elites are redefining the entire way that the world views sexual wellness, particularly as it pertains to them. The C-Suite woman is on track to eventually achieve sexual parity with her male counterpart, with a little help from her sisters in SexTech.
