Sexuality has undergone “major changes” in France in ten years, according to a vast survey which highlights an increase in forced relationships

Sexuality has experienced “major changes” in ten years in France, according to a vast survey published on Wednesday November 13, which reveals “more varied practices”less predominantly heterosexual, less frequent relationships and a level of violence that remains worrying.

These developments “most of them are in the long term, well before #metoo”underlined Nathalie Bajos, sociologist and research director at Inserm, during the presentation of this scientific survey published by her institute and the ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Social mobilization against forms of sexual violence has also “modified the normative frameworks of consent”but the investigation “paints a picture of the scale of this violence which remains worrying”. Thus, 29.8% in 2023 of women aged 18 to 69 reported having experienced forced intercourse or an attempted forced intercourse, compared to 15.9% in 2006. Among men, the figures increased from 4.6% in 2006 to 8.7% in 2023.

Increase in the number of partners

The fruit of five years of work, this investigation into “context of sexualities in France 2023” is the fourth scientific survey since 1970 to study emotional and sexual life in France and to place them in the context of societal changes. It is based on the responses to a telephone questionnaire from more than 31,000 people aged 15 to 89, drawn at random, in mainland France and in four overseas territories (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Reunion).

In its first results for mainland France, the survey shows “a rise” of the median age of first sexual intercourse, to 18.2 years for women and 17.7 years for men in 2023.

The average number of partners of women aged 18 to 69 who have already had sexual intercourse increased from 3.4 partners on average during their lifetime in 1992 to 4.5 in 2006 and to 7.9 in 2023. For men, these figures, stable between 1992 and 2006 around 11, have increased “substantially” to 16.4 partners on average in 2023.

The repertoire of practices was “significantly diversified”more and more men and women declaring having experimented with other sexual practices (masturbation, oral sex and anal intercourse) than vaginal intercourse.

At the same time, some indicators of sexual activity decreased. In 2023, 77.2% of women (compared to 82.9% in 2006) and 81.6% of men (compared to 89.1% in 2006) aged 18 to 69 reported having had sexual activity with a partner in the last twelve months. The results also show a decrease among women, since 2006, in the frequency of sexual relations accepted to please one's partner without really wanting it oneself.

Another notable phenomenon: the proportion of people engaging in non-exclusively heterosexual sexuality “increases very significantly”et “women report more experiences with people of the same sex than men for the first time in 2023”.