Shopping is better than sex, say four in ten women

Shopping is better than sex, say four in ten women

By NEIL SEARS - More by this author » Last updated at 11:38am on 20th November 2007 Comments (7)

Many women admit shopping beats sex

Four in ten women would rather go shopping than have sex, researchers say.

And half of those who have been married for 20 years or more would happily get by without any at all.

The statistics may sound like an insult to their husbands. But there is some good news for men – 72 per cent of wives still fancy their partners, giving them seven out of ten or higher on the scale of sexual attractiveness.

Nor does the figure diminish with age. More than half of those who have been married for 20 years agree.

However, the wedding night is not quite the milestone it used to be. A third did not have sex that evening, according to the research for First magazine.

Neither is marriage the institution it was. A fifth of women between 45 and 54 had been married twice, and more than two-thirds of those had separated within the first ten years of their marriage.

In total, 37 per cent of those polled said they could be happy in a sexless marriage, with the figure ris- to half for those married for more than 20 years.

Relationship psychologist Anjula Mutanda said this was a worrying indication.

"Considering that sex is a healthy part of a loving relationship and is an important way of physically and psychologically connecting with your partner, something is clearly wrong.

"Having no sex at all creates distance and resentment. A once loving and tactile relationship becomes the equivalent of living with your brother or sister."

The survey also found that 37 per cent of women had sex once or twice a week. Just more than a third said they were unhappy with the amount of sex they had.

But, contrary to fable, only half said their sex lives had diminished after having children.

Ninety-four per cent of wives described themselves as "happily married".