Harry
CibbuanoWomen with low sex drive not bothered by it
November 4th 2008 21:42
MSNBC comments on findings published this week that a surprising 44 percent of women in the US report having low sex drive, released in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The survey was of 30 000 women, so the findings are probably statistically correct.
Can we trust these results, though? From other media examinations of research, we know that research findings can be misinterpreted by the media, leading to false conclusions.
This survey goes a bit further, though, noting that only 12 percent of women think it's a problem.
What question did they ask these women? "Do you have a low sex drive?"
That's a strange question to ask, and I'd expect hardly anyone would say yes. What about "Does your husband bother you for sex often?" - that's a loaded question.
"Are you horny?", "Would you like to have sex with me right now?", "Are you a slutty whore that wants sex all the time?" - these are all questions that have emotional weight, and cannot be used to give reliable data.
In order to examine these results, we should be skeptical of the findings until we see how they were presented.
The other problem is: does it matter? Even if it's true that 44 percent of women have low sex drive, but only 12 percent care, should we be bothered? Only those 12 percent need help, I suppose:
The survey was of 30 000 women, so the findings are probably statistically correct.
Can we trust these results, though? From other media examinations of research, we know that research findings can be misinterpreted by the media, leading to false conclusions.
This survey goes a bit further, though, noting that only 12 percent of women think it's a problem.
"The findings mirrored those of many other surveys — but what sets this one apart is that of those women reporting sexual problems, only 12 percent say they are are actually bothered by it."
What question did they ask these women? "Do you have a low sex drive?"
That's a strange question to ask, and I'd expect hardly anyone would say yes. What about "Does your husband bother you for sex often?" - that's a loaded question.
"Are you horny?", "Would you like to have sex with me right now?", "Are you a slutty whore that wants sex all the time?" - these are all questions that have emotional weight, and cannot be used to give reliable data.
In order to examine these results, we should be skeptical of the findings until we see how they were presented.
The other problem is: does it matter? Even if it's true that 44 percent of women have low sex drive, but only 12 percent care, should we be bothered? Only those 12 percent need help, I suppose:
"One way to approach these issues, Nygaard said, is to “focus on symptoms that are bothersome to the person. A condition is not abnormal until it’s bothersome, and that is a little bit of what the authors of the article did. I think you have to define normal in the context of the society in which we live.”
| 65 |
| Vote |
