SEX ACCORDING TO MAÏA
In 1986, iconic French singer Johnny Hallyday sang about his desire to feel desire on every radio station. In 2024, what remains of it? A sexual recession, one brought to light by a January 26 survey by IFOP (the French Institute of Public Opinion) and Lelo, whose findings confirmed a trend that has been underway for decades. The frequency of sexual intercourse is declining in France (-26% since 1970), as is the number of sexually active people (-15% in 18 years: at this rate, total sexual apocalypse should occur in the year 2115). In the country of romance, 39% of women and 55% of men feel they don't make love quite enough. Somewhat ironic, isn't it?
If this erotic disinvestment makes you despair, take solace in the fact that this sexual recession is neither bad news nor inevitable. Every bottleneck also offers possible escapes – and can inspire us to find solutions.
1. Women are most impacted
One thing becomes clear when delving into the statistics: The primary factor in this libidinal slump is being a woman.
Whether the causes are natural (less testosterone) or cultural (too much mental workload), it's reasonable to consider this parameter when a couple settles into a form of cohabitation. Even today, women are asked to align themselves with the male libido in order to "catch up" with men. Is this desirable? That depends on each couple and each individual.
In any event, when the asymmetry of desire leaves women behind, we need to ask the tough questions: what is it in our psyche, in our bodies, in our daily habits, in our organization that creates this discrepancy – which can be found in every social category? At a time when more attention is being paid to the intimate aspects of femininity, doesn't it make sense that traditional coitus featuring penetration is losing ground... when every study shows that it's not very effective in making a woman come?
2. The all-important passage of time
When it comes to the decline of sex, two key parameters come into play: The age of women and the age of the couple. In both cases, the longer a relationship lasts, the more the crisis of desire sets in, especially for women. Men begin to lose interest in sex after just ten years as a couple.
This female-specific fatigue has already been demonstrated by other studies, which can even suggest an idea as disturbing as it is counter-intuitive: that women are not made for monogamy. We can either use this information to make war or to make peace.
One thing is for sure: statistically speaking, few couples won't feel the weight of years. It's not their fault. It's not a failure. If you ate the same sandwich a thousand times, you'd get sick of it. We must be able to renew our sexuality the way we renew our diet or library... in other words, by opening it up to outside influences – whether through sexual fantasies or new practices.
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