Why Do Women Have Sex?

Why do women have sex? It's an intriguing question once you get beyond the obvious reasons: to perpetuate the species and because it feels good.

Two University of Texas researchers wanted to dig deeper to find out what specifically drives women to go to bed with their partners. They conducted an online survey of more than 1,000 women ages 18 to 87 and found, to their surprise, that women aren't all that different from men. The survey asked women if they have ever had sex for one of the 237 reasons identified by the researchers in a previous study. If their response was yes, they would then be prompted to describe a specific sexual experience.

The researchers Cindy Meston and David Buss incorporated the findings into a new book, Why Women Have Sex. Here are excerpts from my [Deborah Kotz] interview with Meston.

What are the biggest reasons women have sex?

The No. 1 reason is because they're attracted to their partner, followed by their seeking of physical gratification. Lower down on the list, the reasons were connected to love or emotional bonding. This sort of knocks down the stereotype that men have sex for pleasure while women have sex for love. Personally, for me--in my 17 years treating women who have sexual problems--it's reassuring to see that most of the women who participated in our survey are having sex for the pure physical pleasure of it.

Excerpted from U.S. News & World Report.