Using Biological Explanations for the Orgasm Gap to Investigate the Disproportionate Essentialization of Gender Disparities in the Sexuality Domain

Humans have a tendency toward essentialization or tend to believe that group differences are biological and immutable (i.e., unchangeable). In the current study, we assessed biological explanations for a well-established gender disparity in the sexuality domain: the orgasm gap. Across three studies, we found that laypeople commonly endorsed biological explanations for the orgasm gap. Furthermore, biological beliefs about the orgasm gap were correlated with greater immutability beliefs about the orgasm gap (Studies 1–2) and greater gender essentialism (Study 2). In Study 3, we found that gender disparities in the sexuality domain were viewed as more biological and immutable than gender disparities in another domain. Thus, we conclude that some gender disparities are conceptualized differently than others. We identify a need to further investigate biological beliefs for gender disparities across domains and identify the sexuality domain as a potentially useful target for interventions to reduce essentialism.