A new opinion poll commissioned by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) and the sex shop chain Espaceplaisir reveals a significant shift in how young women in France view sexuality. Surveying 1,011 women aged 15 to 29, the study found that only 38 percent of those aged 15 to 24 consider sex very important or essential—a steep drop from 62 percent in 1990. The proportion who deem sex “essential” has fallen from 14 percent to 9 percent over the same period.
These findings hold relatively steady across sexual orientations, with little variation among heterosexual, bisexual, or lesbian respondents. Nearly half of Gen Z women say sex is not very important or not important at all in their lives. More strikingly, 52 percent of all surveyed women said they “could continue living with someone without having sex,” and 56 percent of those aged 18 to 24 could imagine a platonic relationship with their partner.
A generational pivot away from hypersexualisation
François Kraus, director of the Politics and Current Affairs division at Ifop, attributes this trend to a broader cultural shift. “The trend towards a de-emphasis on sexuality is likely part of a counter-cyclical shift compared to the phase of ‘hypersexualisation’ of the 1980s and 1990s,” he told Radiofrance. Kraus notes that the new generation prioritises quality over quantity, adding that “we are also seeing the impact of feminist discourse, which is restoring a certain legitimacy to female pleasure.”
The survey also highlights a rise in boredom during partnered sex: 62 percent of women aged 20 to 24 said they sometimes feel bored during sex, compared to 42 percent in 1996. Yet 74 percent of women aged 18 to 24 report being “satisfied” with their sex lives. Ifop explains this apparent paradox partly through a “spectacular intensification of the use of sex toys.”
Indeed, 36 percent of women aged 18 to 24 have used a sex toy alone, up from 30 percent in 2017. Kraus argues that “sexual relations with a partner are more fulfilling. And even if they aren’t, with masturbation having tripled over the past forty years or so and the use of sex toys having become widely accepted, there are alternative ways for women to find fulfilment in this area.”
The findings come amid a broader legal and cultural reckoning in France. In January, the National Assembly approved a bill to scrap the notion of “conjugal rights”—the legal assumption that marriage implies a duty to have sex. The bill adds a clause to the French civil code clarifying that “community of living” does not create an “obligation for sexual relations.”
Green MP Marie-Charlotte Garin, who sponsored the bill, said: “By allowing such a right or duty to persist, we are collectively giving our approval to a system of domination and predation by husband on wife. Marriage cannot be a bubble in which consent to sex is regarded as definitive and for life.”
This legislative move aligns with the poll’s indication that young women are increasingly rejecting traditional marital expectations. The study also found that the notion of marital duty remains entrenched, but the new law aims to dismantle it.
For a generation shaped by digital culture and feminist movements, the data suggests a redefinition of intimacy. As French society debates consent and autonomy—echoed in other European countries—the Ifop poll offers a snapshot of changing priorities among young women in the Cinquième République.
