What percentage of women report preferring oral sex?

Executive Summary — Clear question, messy answers

Multiple studies ask different questions, so there is no single definitive percentage of women who “prefer” oral sex; reported figures range widely depending on wording and sample. Recent surveys find that between roughly 43% and 81% of women report strong liking or enjoyment for receiving oral sex (figures vary by measure: “very appealing,” “very pleasurable,” or “enjoy”), while lifetime participation and past-year receipt produce different, lower percentages ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. These divergent results reflect methodological differences—question phrasing, sample age, time frame, and whether the measure captures preference, enjoyment, or occurrence.

1. What researchers actually measured — and why it matters

Studies cited do not measure a single concept labeled “preference”; they measure enjoyment, appeal, recent occurrence, or lifetime participation, and those are not interchangeable. A 2016/uncertain-date study reports 69% of women said receiving oral sex felt “very pleasurable,” a measure of intensity of pleasure rather than overall preference ^[3]. A 2025 survey reported 81% of women enjoying receiving oral sex ^[1], but that survey’s methodology, sampling frame, and exact question wording determine what “enjoy” captures. Other work reports 44% of women had received oral sex in the previous year ^{[3] [5]}, which measures behavior frequency rather than liking. The gap between behavior and stated preference is a central reason percentages diverge; many women may give oral sex more often than they receive it or may engage in acts for reasons other than preference ^{[4] [6]}.

2. Numbers across studies — a snapshot of the range

Different datasets produce different headline numbers: surveys list 69% “very pleasurable” ^[3], 81% enjoying receiving (p2_s1, 2025-06-16), 44% reported receiving in past year (p2_s3, date not provided), and separate reporting finds 43% of women rated receiving oral sex as “very appealing” (p3_s1, 2024-02-20). Lifetime participation figures are higher—one source reports 86.2% of women have engaged in oral sex at some point (p1_s2, 2025-07-11). These numbers map onto three different phenomena: immediate hedonic response, longer-term stated enjoyment or appeal, and actual behavior frequency. The variation between “very pleasurable” and “very appealing” or simply “enjoy” is substantively important and explains the wide spread from the low 40s to the low 80s.

3. Gender gaps and the myth about giving vs. receiving

Some narratives claim women are twice as likely to give oral sex as receive it; empirical work undermines that strong claim. A Canadian study of university students found 59% of women and 52% of men gave oral sex at last encounter, narrowing the gap considerably ^[6]. Other analyses show women report giving oral sex more often than they receive it in some samples ^[5], but the magnitude is smaller than the oft-repeated myth. This matters because debates about sexual satisfaction often hinge on assumed asymmetries; careful reading of the data shows differences exist but are more modest than some popular claims suggest ^{[6] [5]}.

4. Why question wording and sample demographics drive the headline

Age, cultural context, question framing, and recall window shape results. Older-adult studies report lower past-year receipt (e.g., 44% reported receiving in a recent-year window in one older cohort, p1_s1), while younger cohorts or convenience samples may report higher appeal or enjoyment ^[2]. Surveys asking about “very pleasurable” capture intensity and skew toward those who have had satisfying experiences, while behavior-focused questions (past year, lifetime) capture prevalence. Researchers and journalists often conflate pleasure, preference, and prevalence, which produces headline-friendly but misleading summaries. To interpret any single percentage, you must align the measure (pleasure vs preference vs occurrence) with the question you care about.

5. Bottom line for the original claim and what to watch for next

If you ask “what percentage of women report preferring oral sex?” the honest answer is: it depends on the measure and sample—estimates of strong liking or enjoyment center around the mid-40s to low-80s across studies cited here ^{[2] [3] [1]}, while behavior-based metrics (past-year receipt) are lower, often around 44% ^{[3] [5]}. Future clarity requires surveys that explicitly ask about preference (not just enjoyment), use representative sampling, and report age-stratified results. Reporters and claim-makers should stop presenting a single percentage and instead specify the question, timeframe, and sample to avoid misleading impressions ^{[4] [6] [1]}.