Sex and the Chatelaine woman

We asked for a no-­holds-barred conversation: Talk to us about sex, we said, and tell us everything. In the end, 3,911 women bravely spoke up in our first-ever sex survey. Each revealed to Chatelaine her honest and candid opinions (we'd expect nothing less), though, overall, the women we polled held firm to a fairly conservative notion of sexuality. Only half, for instance, feel they should initiate sex with their partners at least some of the time. And even fewer ever want to dominate those partners in bed.

Four out of five are in monogamous relationships; the rest are single; and by and large they're heterosexual. Thankfully, most are happy with their partners, though fully one-quarter admit that a previous lover was actually the best they've ever had. One out of three copes with waning libidos and busy lives by resorting to good old-fashioned Canadian practicality: They schedule sex dates, something that is highly encouraged by relationship experts and therapists.

In the end, our survey pointed to a few clear differences along cultural lines – we wouldn't be Canada if it didn't. French-Canadian women show a greater acceptance of themselves sexually and more openness to the gamut of sexual practices. They enjoy sex more as they age and are more apt to be sexual go-getters rather than waiting for their partners to spark things up. But if you think all of Quebec is swinging from the chandeliers while the rest of us lie back and think of England, that's not exactly the case. Sadly, most women, regardless of provenance, have issues with body image. When asked to rate satisfaction with their bodies on a scale of one to 10, women gave themselves no higher than an average of six.

C'mon, girls. Goal for this year: That number's going up.

Click here to see the survey results and pick up the February issue of Chatelaine for more on our sexual behaviour.

Results were gathered from polling the Chatelaine Feedback Panel and the Châtelaine Table Ronde of our Quebec-based sister publication.