News Releases
National Study Probes American Women on Sex, Relationships and Career
October 3rd, 2006 (New York, NY) – A new national survey, appearing in the November issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, found that the majority of American women value conversation with their husband more than sex. Seventy-six percent of married women would rather sacrifice sex with their husbands for a month than conversation (14%). On the other hand, 48% believe their husbands would find it more difficult to give up conversation and 42% thought they would choose sex.
The survey, conducted by International Communications Research for Ladies’ Home Journal, also revealed that although 30% of women say the longest they’ve gone without sex since they’ve been married is less than a month, 14% of women 45-to-54 say they can’t even remember the last time they had sex with their husband.
“The poll results were revealing and fascinating—showing that women are simultaneously romantic and realistic, ambitious and proud of their roles at home,” says Diane Salvatore, editor-in-chief of Ladies’ Home Journal. “Also, there is a very clear message that, despite the conventional wisdom, women are remarkably happy in their marriages and happy with their bodies and their weight.”
Key Ladies’ Home Journal survey findings include:
Still the One?
While 97% of women say their husband is still the one, the number of women who would marry their husband with the benefit of hindsight decreases slightly as women get older – from 99% of 18-to-34-year olds to 78% of women 65+
Life’s Better Married
Women on both sides of the coin think being married is the way to go. Married women most often think of single women: “Better them than me!” (21%). Thirty-four percent of single women consider their married counterparts “so lucky.”
Cheat and Tell
If they knew for sure their best friend’s husband was having an affair, 63% of women would tell her. Younger women are more likely to blow the whistle – 82% of 18-34-year-olds vs. only 28% of women 65+. If the tables were turned and their own husband was cheating, 79% of women would want to know.
Affairs of the Heart
Most women consider their husband having a year-long sexless affair of the heart (52%) a more serious blow to the health of their marriage than a loveless one-night stand (22%). If they are the cheaters, women’s opinions split more evenly – 37% think it’s the year-long affair of the heart and 32% think it’s the loveless one-night-stand that’s worse.
Getting Away With It
When asked if they could get away with one transgression in their marriage without risking their husband’s love, 61% would not commit any transgression at all. Of those that would misbehave, spending $10,000 of the family savings was the most popular option (5%).
Skeletons in the Closet
Most women say they don’t have anything to hide from their kids (30%). Of those that are keeping secrets, the biggest is the fact that they had premarital sex (21%).
Green with Envy
While the majority of women (54%) said they don’t covet their friends, those that do are most envious when their friend loses weight (10%). Women also are jealous when their friend has a better job (9%) or a more loving husband (8%).
Looking Good
The big news: 30% of women said they don’t need to lose 25 pounds, and even if they did, 55% of them wouldn’t give up sex, money or friends to shed it.
Anchor for a Week
When asked what high-profile job they would want to test drive for a week, most women (15%) would choose to be a TV news anchor. The older a woman got, the more she saw herself in this role; the numbers ranged from 11% of 18-34-year-olds to 20% of those 65+. Movie star (13%) was the next most popular career, followed by president of the United States (11%), First Lady (9%) and an American Idol judge (6%).
And the Prize Goes to…
Women would most want to win Mom of the Year (36%), rather than the Nobel Peace Prize (25%), an Olympic Gold Medal (6%), an Academy Award (6%) or Miss America (3%).
Job Satisfaction
Overall, women are happy with their jobs. Thirty-one percent said that they love it even though the money isn’t great, while 28% said they like every single thing about their job. Only 2% of women hate everything about their job.
The study of 529 women ages 18 and up was conducted via telephone in June 2006. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.8%. The November issue of Ladies’ Home Journal is on newsstands October 10th.
About Ladies’ Home Journal
Founded in December 1883, Ladies' Home Journal has been inspiring, informing and entertaining women for 123 years. Published monthly by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP), Ladies’ Home Journal has a circulation of 4.1 million and a readership of 13.5 million. The magazine’s interactive online companion, www.lhj.com, has 1.8 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month.
Contact:
Mariela Azcuy
212-551-6955
mariela.azcuy@meredith.com