More French women say sex is less important, according to new study

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · May 28, 2026 · 674 words · By David Mouriquand

Female sexual autonomy French legal reform on marital consent Gen Z sexual attitudes

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What to know about Female sexual autonomy

According to a new study by the French Institute of Public Opinion, Gen Z women generally place less importance on sex and are more open about masturbating.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

According to a new study by the French Institute of Public Opinion, Gen Z women generally place less importance on sex and are more open about masturbating.

Why it matters

As for being in a relationship without having sex?

Common ground

More than half of young women don’t rule it out as an option.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Female sexual autonomy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that a total of 62 per cent of women aged between 20 and 24 said they sometimes felt bored during sex, compared with 42 per cent in 1996?
How does this story connect Female sexual autonomy with French legal reform on marital consent over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/05/28/sex-non-merci-new-poll-finds-young-f…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

verified Verified By Reference 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 2

info

Claim 1: “a total of 62 per cent of women aged between 20 and 24 said they sometimes felt bored during sex, compared with 42 per cent in 1996.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions the 'Great American Sex Drought' and demographics of the 60+ population, but does not contain the specific boredom statistics for women aged 20-24.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — United States - share of women who have ever received oral sex 2015 | Statista.oral sex, giving it in the past year or month, age cohort, or partner gender, and multiple probability surveys show subst…
https://factually.co/fact-checks/society/percentage-women-gi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Experts who study Americans' bedroom habits say there are a number of factors driving the Great American Sex Drought. Age is one of them: The 60-and-older demographic climbed from 18 percent of the po…
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-percentage-of-americans-not…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Quora is a place to gain and share knowledge. It's a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers. This empowers people to learn from each other…
https://www.quora.com/

info

Claim 2: “A total of 56 per cent of respondents aged between 18 and 24 said they could envisage a platonic relationship with their partners.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence discusses general trends in Gen Z dating and relationships, but does not mention the specific 56% statistic regarding platonic relationships.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 11, 2025 ... those who say it's better for kids and teenagers to wait until they find themselves before they pursue a romantic relationship, and those who ...
https://www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic/posts/fewer-young-peopl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 13, 2025 ... Respondents reported whether or not they got ... DIFFERENCES: How often would you say political differences affect your relationship with.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?articl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 28, 2026 ... The Hims 2025 survey found that 77% of Gen Z respondents in relationships met their partner in real life, not through an app. ... they can repair ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXs4mF2nI0c/

help

Claim 3: “the study showed that 36 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 have already used a sex toy on their own, compared with 30 per cent in 2017.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the use of sex toys among women aged 18-24 in 2017 or the current study.

verified

Claim 4: “nearly 50 per cent of Gen Z women feel that sex is not that important in their lives, or even not important at all.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provides definitions of Gen Z and Zillennials, but contains no polling data regarding Gen Z women's views on the importance of sex.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Generation Beta, often shortened to Gen Beta, is the proposed name for the demographic cohort succeeding Generation Alpha. The name was coined by futurist and demographer Mark McCrindle, who also coin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Beta

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Library Genesis (shortened to LibGen) is a shadow library project for file-sharing access to scholarly journal articles, academic and general-interest books, images, comics, audiobooks, and magazines.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_Genesis

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zillennials, occasionally called Zennials, are a social cohort encompassing people born on the cusp of or during the later years of the Millennial generation and the early years of Generation Z. Sourc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zillennials

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 5: “Within the same age group and the same time period, the proportion of young women for whom sex is “essential” has fallen from 14 per cent to 9 per cent.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence discusses infertility and marriage rates, but does not provide the specific percentages (14% to 9%) regarding the 'essential' nature of sex for young women.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1990th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 990th year of the 2nd millennium, the 90th …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The year 1990 in film involved many significant events as shown below. Universal Pictures celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1990, despite its actual 75th anniversary taking place in 1987.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard Tiffany Gere ( GHEER; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gere

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “74 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 said they were “satisfied” with their sex lives”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions that 22% of 18-25 year olds are not sexually active and provides a different study where 74% reported oral sex, but it does not confirm that 74% of women aged 18-24 are 'satisfied' with their sex lives.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sep 19, 2025 · 22% of 18–25-year-olds are not sexually active; over half report problems in their intimate lives; about 40% cannot discuss sexual issues with ...
https://www.facebook.com/smerconish/posts/americans-are-havi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Most participants were sexually experienced (74% reporting oral sex, 70% vaginal sex, 21% anal sex). Mean lifetime sex partners was 6.7 (SD=11.8) and 1.4 (SD=1 ...
https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/e565062014-001

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 26, 2024 · Have you ever wondered how often people have sex? Or worried about what a "normal" amount of sex is? Science has the answers.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psymon-says/202303/h…

help

Claim 7: “masturbation having tripled over the past forty years or so”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim that masturbation has tripled over forty years.

info

Claim 8: “A new opinion poll commissioned by sex shop chain Espaceplaisir and led by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop), which surveyed a total of 1,011 women aged between 15 and 29, has found that the importance of sex in young women’s lives is waning.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence contains general information about sexual orientation, movies, and education, but no mention of an Ifop poll commissioned by Espaceplaisir regarding the importance of sex in young women's lives.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Men outnumbered women among homosexuals in all age groups. For both sexes, the share identifying as homosexual was highest in the 20–29 age group.[20][21].A female-only survey found that 1% of Italian…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_sexual_orienta…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get ready for the top 5 older woman younger man relationship movies of 2025! These films showcase unique and exciting love stories that you won't want to miss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trOY0vtJBo4

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He advocates for women's education and stresses that Filipino mothers should focus on instilling values in their children, as their actions shape future generations. Rizal encourages young women to ch…
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/to-the-young-women-of-m…

schedule

Claim 9: “The bill approved in January adds a clause to the country's civil code to make clear that "community of living" does not create an "obligation for sexual relations".”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “A bill to scrap the law of so-called “conjugal rights” - the notion that marriage means a duty to have sex - was approved by MPs and senators in the National Assembly earlier this year.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 11: “Only 38 per cent of women aged between 15 to 24 felt that sexuality was very important or even essential, compared to 62 per cent in 1990.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence includes general data on reproductive health and Wikipedia entries for the year 1990, but does not contain the specific statistics (38% vs 62%) mentioned in the claim.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 12: “more than one in two (52 per cent) women surveyed said they “could continue living with someone without having sex”.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence mentions a survey about women over 40 not wanting to date and a statistic about women having sex once per week, but does not mention the 52% figure regarding living without sex.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's married spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and does not always involve physical …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marital_rape

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Statistics on rape and other acts of sexual assault are commonly available in industrialized countries, and have become better documented throughout the world. Inconsistent definitions of rape, differ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Violence against women in Thailand includes but is not limited to domestic violence, rape, sex trafficking, and murder. Violence against women impacts the individual as well as the family in long-term…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_women_in_Thai…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.