Noted sexologist Debby Herbenick is the lead-author on an article looking at a representative survey of over 9000 US adults which reveals that the majority of both males and females have at some point in their lives engaged in “rough sex” behaviors with a partner, defined as hair pulling, biting, spanking, slapping, punching, choking, smothering, or abusive name-calling (“slut,” “whore,” “bitch”). Even though older persons have had more lifetime sexual experiences, having ever participated in rough sex is far more commonly reported by adults under the age of 40. It is also common among sexual or gender minorities: over two-thirds of transgender and non-binary adults report having engaged in this behavior consensually, both giving and receiving, and over one-third report having experienced it non-consensually (compared to 20% of women, 16% of men). What is it about our evolving sexual mores that makes these practices more accepted among young people today than they were by their peers in the sexually permissive 1960s and 70s?
Most US Adults Have Engaged in Rough Sex
