United Kingdom, GBP
United States, USD
Canada, CAD
Australia, AUD
New Zealand, NZD
European Union, EUR
France, EUR
A wank a day keeps the doctor away,* but only half the population is receiving the memo. Our research reveals that the masturbation gap between men and women in the UK is 47%. But could that gap be closing?
We hope so! Masturbation has heaps of benefits, which women deserve to experience just as a much as anyone. So, read on to explore the latest masturbation trends, discover the real benefits of masturbation, and get tips for satisfying self-pleasure.
*not medically proven!
Only a third of women masturbate once a week
Mood-boosting and relaxing; masturbation is the best kind of self-care. But how often do you do it? In 2025, our research found that 62% of men in the UK masturbate at least once a week, while only 35% of women do.
On average, men masturbate approximately 123 times per year, while women only masturbate 65 times. That means women masturbate 47% less than men do. That’s a huge gap!
For a long time, women have experienced shame around sex and masturbation. It's up to educators like us to help fight that stigma by supporting women to get to know their bodies and find their sexual happiness.
Over half of women have a high libido
It’s not just a stereotype that men are the hornier gender; there’s data to prove it. When rating libido on a scale of 1-10, our research found that men’s average libido is 7.05, while women’s is 6.0.
77% of men also reported having a “rather high, high, or very high” libido, while that number dropped to 56% for women. While that’s a big gap, we can still see that over half of women have a high libido, which makes the masturbation gap even more surprising.
Of course, it’s possible to have a lower libido and not feel at all dissatisfied with your sex life. But for some people, low libido comes from factors like stress, low self-esteem, and fatigue, leading to sexless relationships and insecurities.
Ironically, regular masturbation can actually help combat low libido and stress. So, if women can carve out more time for self-pleasure, they’ll experience a heap of benefits – as we’ll explore below.
Masturbation has key health benefits
Masturbating is the best way to get to know your body and explore your desires. It can also give you more confidence in the bedroom, especially when it comes to asking a partner to touch you the way you like.
When you orgasm, your body floods with dopamine and oxytocin, reducing the stress hormone, cortisol. That’s how masturbation can boost your mood, help you relax, and even promote deeper sleep.
In 2025, both men and women seem clued up on the relaxing effects of self-pleasure:
- 72% of men and 71% of women have masturbated to relieve stress
- 47% of men and 42% of women have masturbated to fall asleep
We know sex education in the UK could be better, but a positive trend could be emerging. In 2024, 64% of men and 60% of women thought stress reduction was a benefit of masturbation, while 46% of men and 39% of women thought improved sleep was a benefit. It's great to see even more people putting that into practice in 2025!
Is the masturbation gap closing?
If we compare the data from over the years, it seems the masturbation gap is closing.
- In 2023, the gap was 63%
- In 2024, it was 56%
- In 2025, it was 47%
This suggests slow and steady progress towards more equal attitudes around masturbation in the UK. That’s great news, because self-pleasure is a natural part of a healthy sex life – regardless of whether you’re in a relationship.
“There has been a real positive movement towards the normalisation of masturbation generally, and particularly women, in recent years,” says sexual health expert, Sarah Mulindwa. “But the findings show there are still societal taboos that differ between genders.”
Sarah believes that a better understanding of the benefits of masturbation would help fight the stigma. By sharing expert-backed self-pleasure tips and constantly improving our sex toys based on user research, we hope to help drive that change.
Tips for healthy masturbation
Self-pleasure can be challenging for sorts of reasons. If you feel ashamed or don’t know where to start – don't worry. Sarah Mulindwa has tips to help.
Set the mood
Just like you might do for a date or a relaxing evening in, it can help to set the mood and get into the zone. Run a bath, light some candles – do whatever it takes is to relax yourself into your body. This will help you turn down your inhibitions and get aroused.
Get to know your body
You don’t have to ‘dive right in’, when it comes to masturbation. Instead, learn your body first and what makes it tick – lightly touch any erogenous zones to find out what it is you might like. Read about your anatomy and check yourself out in the mirror for an even deeper understanding.
Try lube
Touching yourself ‘down there’ might feel uncomfortable if you don’t have enough lubrication. If you’ve got a vulva, it can naturally get wet when you’re aroused – but it’s not always enough on its own. Applying a little lube can help enhance the good sensations and reduce friction.
Start slow
Go completely at your own pace – there’s no one here to judge you! You might just enjoy stroking your body or teasing your labia (if you have a vulva) at first. Then you can explore rubbing the clitoris or even inserting a finger. Build up momentum (or slow down) as fits you.
Try again
You might not come the first time you masturbate. That’s OK. You’re still getting to know what feels good for you. Next time, try and recreate the touches that you liked or explore a different position, pace, or angle.
Once you’ve got into your rhythm, you can start to look at bringing in beginner’s toys like a bullet vibe or clitoral suction toy. Sex toys can bring new sensations to the table that feel totally different to using your hand. For even more tips, check out our guide: How to Masturbate for Women
Sources
Lovehoney x Womanizer survey with Appinio (March 2025), 1,000 UK respondents from a total of 8,000 respondents.
Lovehoney x Appinio survey (February 2024), 5,000 respondents across UK, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and France.
