Young Aussie women are experiencing a major sex-drive slump. That’s the word from twenty-somethings and experts, alike, who are challenging the long-held belief that women are at their sexual best throughout their twenties.

And while females in this age group are thought to have super-charged libidos, they are, in fact, having less sex – and not enjoying it as much. So, what is causing this disinterest in the good stuff?

Hitting our peak: men vs women

“Despite the misconception, men are at their sexual peak from 16 to 25 years of age, while for women it’s between 35 and 45,” says Vivienne Cass, clinical psychologist, sex therapist and author of The Elusive Orgasm: A Woman’s Guide To Why She Can’t And How She Can Orgasm (Brightfire Press, $35).

“Young women might be going out and having heaps of sex, but may not be enjoying it or getting the high levels of arousal (this will usually come later). Also, women in their twenties are reluctant to experiment so don’t have as much sexual confidence as males the same age.” As sex therapist and relationship counsellor Dr Rosie King puts it, “Women are slow to learn about their sexuality. For this reason, a woman’s sexual pleasure doesn’t peak until she’s in her thirties.”

This isn’t the case for men, though – their sexual performance is at its best in their late teens. “Erection is rapid (a young man can get a full erection in three seconds), orgasm is reached easily and repeated sexual activity is possible in a single session as refractory (or recovery period after orgasm) is short,” Dr King explains.

“As men age, they take longer to get an erection, they have to work harder to have an orgasm and the recovery period after orgasm gets longer with each passing year.”

The moral guardians of sex

“Women are still taught conservative messages about sex,” reveals Cass. “We’re the moral guardians – we’re taught to be careful who we have it with and when, as well as usually being the person in a relationship who worries about pregnancy and STIs. Although we’re more sophisticated than in previous generations, the idea that women should be sexual just because they enjoy sex is still not socially accepted.”

Cass says family, peers, religious groups and the media can all affect a young woman’s stance on sex and influence her behaviour. Interest in sex can be affected by a range of factors. “Sexual desire enhancers include feeling in top health and well-rested, being in a good frame of mind emotionally, having a happy fulfilling relationship and enjoying satisfying sexual activity,” Dr King explains.

“Desire inhibitors can come from four categories – physical (things like fatigue, illness, pain, medications, including the pill), emotional (stress, anxiety, depression, sadness), sexual (poor sex education, negative sexual attitudes, sexual boredom, poor body image) or your relationship (unresolved conflict, power struggles, inequality).”