Researchers have found that women who identify as feminist have better sex. Which we could have told you – but it's always nice to have proof. The 2019 paper, published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour explains this phenomenon: 'A survey of 462 heterosexual women from the UK found that those who espoused anti-feminist values—that is, those high in hostile sexism—had faked significantly more orgasms over their lifetime.'
'Furthermore, the more that women believed female orgasm was necessary for men’s sexual gratification, the more likely they were to have faked an orgasm at least once in their lives compared to women who had never faked an orgasm.'
It also found that women who hold hostile views towards feminism are more likely to fake their orgasms, as are women who are uncomfortable saying the word 'clitoris', suggesting that women who are more comfortable and knowledgeable about their anatomy enjoy an increased likelihood of having orgasms.
According to a study by The Centre For Sexual Health promotion, 42.4% of women who fake orgasms do so because they're worried about hurting their partner's feelings.
Faking an orgasm is a personal choice, and certainly no woman should be shamed for it. But, if the reason you're faking is to save the person you're sleeping with the time and effort of actually making you come, or because you think being honest would damage their self-esteem, you are short-changing yourself.
Faux climaxes are, apparently, on the decline. The study found that while over half of women(58.8% of respondents) reported having previously pretended to have an orgasm, the majority of them (67.3%) no longer fake anymore.
So not only does feminism fight for better reproductive rights, an end to the pay gap and the prevention of violence towards women, it's also helping to end the phenomenon of women forgoing sexual gratification to make men feel better about themselves. Thank you, girl power.