A large percentage of married couples don’t have sex on anything approaching a regular basis. Whether it’s shame, embarrassment, or fear of social stigmatization, people do not want to share their concerns and talk about this issue.
Many wonder what happens when a woman loses interest in her husband, but tend to disregard that it worlds the other way around too. Understanding the underlying causes of sexless marriages, and remembering that you are not alone, is a vital part of having a more fulfilling relationship with your spouse.
The sexless marriage statistics and facts found below are there to break the stigma, show you how real the problem is and help you re-establish trust with your partner in 2022.
Top Ten Sexless Marriage Statistics for 2024:
- Gen X and millennials have the least amount of sex.
- After four years of marriage, only 48% of married women want regular sex.
- Sexless marriage statistics report that 12% of midlife women and 7% of women 65 and older report low libido.
- Experts define sexless marriages as the couple having sex less than ten times per year.
- Roughly 61% of people believe intimacy is essential in a marriage, according to sexless relationship stats.
- On average, married Americans have sex 51 times per year.
- Sexless marriage facts show a sharp decline in the amount of sex people have during their first year of marriage.
- Couples in sexless marriages consider divorce more often than couples who have regular sex.
- Sexless marriage statistics reveal that the reason you aren’t having sex is very important.
- There are three common causes of a sexless marriage.
General Sexless Marriages Statistics to Keep in Mind
Although it can feel like it’s the end of the world and love as we know it — it’s not. Here are the key numbers and facts about this issue to help you get a clearer picture about how frequent it is and what are the factors which contribute to it.
1. Sexless marriage statistics report that 12% of midlife women and 7% of women 65 and older report low libido.
(Considerable)
A third of these women, who are aged 45 to 64, and those older than 65, are distressed about their lack of sexual desire. An article states that one of the more significant causes of this issue is menopause.
2. After four years of marriage, only 48% of married women want regular sex.
(Good Housekeeping)
There seems to be a significant drop in the desire for regular sex and intimacy in marriage after a couple of years.
However, while the statistics on sexless marriages are not that shocking – we all know how passion seems to fizzle out after the knot is tied – the exact reasons on why and what happens when a woman loses interest in her husband are individual and difficult to figure out.
Perhaps it’s the aging of the couple, the lack of excitement, or only a lack of time due to being preoccupied with “nesting.”
3. Sexless marriage facts show a sharp decline in the amount of sex people have during their first year of marriage.
(William James, 1981, Principles of Psychology)
Number of sexual intercourses is halved near the end of a couple’s first year of marriage. According to James, what starts at an average of seventeen occasions during the first month of married life drops down to eight times per month by the end of the year.
4. Gen X and millennials have the least amount of sex.
(Greater Good Berkley)
While Gen X and millennials are at the bottom of the list, the silent generation (the one born in the 1930s) seems to have had the most active sex life. However, the causes of these potentially sexless marriage stats are not that clear.
Just to give one example, the rising age of marriage among younger generations might be a factor, since the frequency of sex is strongly tied to the couple’s age.
5. Experts define sexless marriages as the couple having sex less than ten times per year.
(Psychology Today)
To gather statistics on a sexless marriage, you need to understand the definition of a sexless marriage. Experts state that a marriage of this nature is where couples have sex less than once a month (or less than ten times per year).
6. Sexless marriage percentage is hard to obtain, but between 15%-20% of couples in the US didn’t have sex in the past year.
(Love engineer)
While many people do seem to have satisfying sex lives, a very high number of couples did not have sex in the past year. According to a study conducted by Georgia University, almost a fifth of married couples didn’t have sex in the 12 months preceding the said study.
Roughly 27% of women and 15% of men did not have sex in the last 12 months, according to an article published in VeryWellMind.
7. According to sexless relationship statistics, people who have sex less than once a week are less happy than those who have it more.
(Psychology Today)
It may come as no surprise that people having sex more often are happier. However, what might surprise you is that couples who have sex two, three, or four times per week are not happier than those who have it just once.
8. On average, married Americans have sex 51 times per year.
(Psychology Today)
A study that included over 26 thousand Americans showed that, on average, married couples have sex slightly less frequently than once per week. If we take sexless marriages statistics and data and the traditional definition of sexless marriages, a large part of America is in the clear.
9. Couples in sexless marriages consider divorce more often than couples who have regular sex.
(Love engineer)
While there is no exact data on exactly how many divorces are caused by the lack of sex, it’s safe to say that it’s a strong factor. Sexless marriage divorce statistics and rates are probably increased because intimacy in marriage is crucial.
Living in a Sexless Marriage — Causes and Factors
Popular culture established sex as an indicator of whether your parner likes you or not. So, naturally, many people get consumed with doubt or guilt once they face this problem.
The truth is far from this. The following numbers and facts are gathered to set the things straight and reveal the complexity of the problem.
10. Sexless marriage statistics reveal that the reason you aren’t having sex is very important.
(Psychology Today)
They claim that the lack of sex in a marriage can be a symptom of a larger, more serious problem. It can signify a lack of trust and closeness between couples or a health issue for one member of the relationship.
Additionally, reasons can include something outside of their control, like a long-distance relationship, children, or work.
11. Roughly 61% of people believe intimacy is essential in a marriage, according to sexless relationship stats.
(Love engineer)
According to a recent poll, almost two-thirds of people believe that intimacy is crucial. However, that also implies that 39% of people do not consider it that important and that it doesn’t necessarily show unhappy couples. They might have learned to cope without it, or they simply have low to non-existent libidos.
12. There are three common causes of a sexless marriage.
(The Healthy)
The statistics involving sexless marriages, and psychotherapist Tina Tessina, Ph.D., claim that there are three causes of sexless marriages. First, there could be a lack of communication. Then, one partner might be too neglectful. Finally, one partner in the relationship could have had his or her feelings hurt and/or got turned down too many times.
13. Experts claim that marriages without sex aren’t wrong but that they are more vulnerable.
(The Healthy)
These statistics of sexless marriages might seem grim at times, but you need to remember that a sexless marriage can be a happy and fulfilling marriage for some people. However, it can also be more vulnerable since it would need to rely on other aspects of the relationship a bit more.
14. Smartphones harm our relationships and intimacy.
(Psychology of Popular Media Culture)
According to a paper published in the Journal of the Psychology of Popular Media Culture, smartphone usage directly correlates to relationship uncertainty. While it would be a stretch to say that it causes a lack of sex in a marriage, it is still evident that it does have an adverse effect.
15. Many factors can lower both male and female libidos and lead to a sexless marriage.
(Medical News Today)
This unpleasant myth that a lack of sex in a marriage is caused by frigidity or laziness. There are clear sexless marriage facts that show what types of illnesses and conditions can lead to a lower sex drive. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, pregnancy, sleep apnea – all of these diminish a person’s libido.
FAQ
When to walk away from sexless marriage?
This is a grave issue that simply cannot be answered without careful thought and deliberation and advice from a licensed therapist. There needs to be a clear understanding of a person’s needs, wishes, and desires, as well as their expectations and plans. Then, you need to understand what you would be losing and decide whether it’s worth it.
How to survive a sexless marriage without cheating?
One important point is simply working on the marriage and trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. Once the problem has been found, it can potentially be fixed (best with professional assistance).
There are other avenues to explore, too. An open marriage might be a potential solution if living in a sexless marriage is too much for you – but you find the idea of leaving your partner or cheating on them even worse.
How long do sexless marriages last?
A sexless marriage can last for a very long time. The important thing to remember is that the reason you are not having sex is often more important than the actual lack of sex. If there is a lack of closeness and intimacy in the marriage, of which a lack of sex is a symptom, then you can’t expect that marriage to last long.
However, if everything is going great, but perhaps you can’t have sex for reasons unrelated to your connection with your partner, then an adequately handled marriage like this can last for a long time.
What percent of sexless marriages end in divorce?
There is no clear sexless marriage divorce rate data. A divorce is a challenging, messy thing, which happens due to multiple reasons, some of which might cause a lack of sex, being just a symptom of something more serious.
Can a sexless marriage survive?
Coping with a sexless marriage can be difficult, but it can be overcome. If the marriage has strong foundations, and if both couples have learned to deal with this lack of physical intimacy, then yes, it can survive. You need to deal with the underlying emotional issues, if any, that have caused this lack of intimacy.
If this lack of sexual and physical intimacy is caused by some physical issue, one that can’t be resolved, both partners in the relationship need to learn how to deal with it in the best way possible.
Can a marriage survive without intimacy?
If it is a question of physical intimacy, then yes, see the answer above. However, if there is a lack of both emotional and physical closeness, one should reassess their definition of what a marriage is.
How do you deal with a sexless marriage?
There are many ways you can deal with this issue. First, you can try to figure out why you’re not having sex. Next, you should be honest with your partner. Work on this issue together, and perhaps get some professional help. Don’t put pressure on yourself or your partner. Be honest about your feelings, and try to understand your partner as well.
How does a sexless marriage affect a man?
It depends on the man. The need for sexual fulfillment is real in both men and women, but all of us react differently under different circumstances. The factors that lead to the lack of sex, like one’s libido and the stability of a marriage, need to be considered before one can analyze how the lack of sex in marriage affects a person.
Conclusion
A lack of sex in marriage is common and often a very detrimental factor in people’s lives. And yet, there is a strong stigma associated with this issue, which needs to be dispelled and understood.
This same stigma can prevent people from getting help with this issue, an issue that erodes trust in a marriage and damages people’s confidence.
The sexless marriage statistics and facts found within the article above are here to give you a realistic glimpse of this problem and, hopefully, help you or a loved one. By understanding this problem better, you can deal with it more effectively.
