5 figures that could explain the sexual recession among the French

Sex (or sexual recession) is now an important issue in the upcoming French elections. Not because of those who have less sex, but especially for those who have none or no sex at all.

France recorded fewer than 700,000 births in 2023, for the first time since World War II. How can this decline be explained? Certainly, several socio-economic factors contribute to the lowest birth rate in France. But if we take a closer look at people's quality of life, and in particular their sex lives, things become clearer.

IntyEssentials and BVA surveyed 1,000 French women aged 18 to 65 in March 2024 to better understand their experience of intimate discomfort, sexual pain, and their sexual health practices. A closer look at the data reveals a number of trends among women of reproductive age in France that could tell a lot. We share with you five statistics that could help explain this famous “sexual recession” or the decline in the birth rate among people of reproductive age recorded in France in recent years.

For example, is it possible that intimate pain and discomfort cause such unpleasant situations that they become a real obstacle to sexual relations? Let's let the numbers speak...

90% of women under 35 who have already had sexual intercourse are affected (at least once in their life) by some form of discomfort or pain in their genital area.

And 76% of participants under 35 are currently experiencing this situation.

Women aged 18 to 34 are significantly more likely to report experiencing pain in the genital area than women aged 35 to 64. In fact, younger women are 19% more likely than older women to report currently experiencing sexual pain or discomfort.

How do we explain this difference? Our theory, also based on our 18 years of experience in the field of sexual health, is that younger women are often more likely to talk about their intimate health and therefore would be more willing than older women to talk about the difficulties they encounter. Our older friends, family members and clients often tell us that they have been told to accept sexual pain and discomfort as normal, a sort of “rite of passage” for all women.

44% of women aged 18 to 34 rate the intensity of genital pain as 6 or greater.

One of the most striking findings from our survey is the intensity of sexual pain. Indeed, for 44% of women aged 18 to 34 and 38% of women aged 35 and over (we are therefore talking about 6 out of 10 women), this pain represents a real disorder or a truly painful condition since they give it an intensity of 6 (on a scale from 0 to 10). The intensity of sexual pain is therefore not to be neglected and the fact that such a significant percentage of women of childbearing age have experienced such intense genital pain could contribute to dissuading these women from starting a family or encourage them to limit the number of children they wish to have?

It is worth noting at this point that our survey found that: "women who have sex more occasionally are more likely to experience this pain and discomfort." In fact, when women have sex 1-3 times a month, 77% of them experience pain and discomfort (vs. 66% of women overall). Could it be that they are having sex less frequently because of this discomfort and pain?

68% of women between 18-34 have felt at least one negative consequence of this pain, this discomfort.

Women of reproductive age are more likely to experience negative consequences (68%) as a result of their genital discomfort or pain compared to older women (61%). Among the most common consequences, around a quarter of women surveyed cite a loss of sexual desire and a loss of sexual pleasure. Women aged 18-34 are more likely to report anxiety about sex (29% compared to 19% of women over 35), and 22% of them report effects on their relationship with their partner (compared to 15% of women over 35).

On the other hand, 8% of women under 35 say that their embarrassment has had positive effects on their relationship with their partner (better communication, learning how the other person works, feeling listened to, etc.). This figure is only 4% among women over 35.

76% of women under 35 have spoken to someone about their discomfort or pain.

This figure contrasts with the 67% of women aged 35 and over who sought advice from others. Not surprisingly, women aged 25 to 34 – who are in the prime of their childbearing years – are the most likely to seek help from health professionals (46% compared to 53% of women aged 18 to 24 and 48% of women aged 35 and over).

In contrast, women under 35 are significantly more likely to consult a midwife or sexologist. And they are much more likely to talk about it with their partner: 40%, compared to 27% for women aged 35 and over. Furthermore, women aged 18 to 24 are significantly more likely to talk about it with their partner - almost half of them say they have taken this approach. It is important that women are not isolated when faced with these difficulties. It is therefore encouraging to see that younger women are more likely to talk to health professionals and their partners.

Among 18-24 year-olds who consulted a healthcare professional, almost one in four had a negative experience.

About 50% of women in our survey said they had consulted a healthcare professional for intimate discomfort or pain. 89% of them said they had a positive experience – a result that seems pretty positive to us.

However, while only 13% of the entire group reported a negative experience, this figure is particularly high among women aged 18 to 24: 23% of them had a negative medical experience.

How can this be explained? While the answer is not entirely clear, our conversations with our clients and community reveal several hypotheses. They believe that healthcare professionals minimized their pain, recommended restrictive treatments that they did not fully understand, or performed physical exams for which they may not have been prepared.