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The guilt and pleasure of

masturbation: A study of college girls
in Gujarat, India
a a
Vinit Sharma & Anuragini Sharma
a
Department of Community Medicine , P. S. Medical College and
S. K. Hospital , Anand, Gujarat, India
Published online: 14 Dec 2007.

To cite this article: Vinit Sharma & Anuragini Sharma (1998) The guilt and pleasure of
masturbation: A study of college girls in Gujarat, India, Sexual and Marital Therapy, 13:1, 63-70,
DOI: 10.1080/02674659808406544

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 Sexual and Marital Therapy, Vol. 13, No. 1, 1998 63

The guilt and pleasure of

masturbation: a study of college
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girls in Gujarat, India

VINIT SHARMA & ANURAGINI SHARMA
Department of Community Medicine, P. S. Medical College and S. K. Hospital,
Anand, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT There is a general paucity of data on the sexual behaviour of adolescent girls in Indian
society as also about their knowledge concerning sexual matters. This study was undertaken to
determine the prevalence of masturbation among first year college girls, and to assess the role of
various demographic and sociocultural factors like parental education; socioeconomic background,
etc. on their masturbational status. All unmarried, first-year woman students from three womens’
colleges in the Anand taluka of Gujarat, India, were studied (n = 530). About 30% (n = 160)
admitted that they masturbated. None of them had experienced sexual intercourse and all of them
indicated a heterosexual inclination. The mean knowledge score with respect to human sexuality was
6.38 ( 5 4.25) on a scale of 25, with a median of 6. Almost 81 % of the girls had started
masturbating between the ages of 12 to 15 years, with the median age being 15 years. Theji-equency
of masturbation varied from one to five times per week with a median of three times per week. The
frequency of masturbation was significantly associated with the residential status of the respondent
(i.e. residence in a hostel vis a vis living with parents). All the girls who were practising masturbation
felt that it was a bad thing which caused weakness, disease, infertility and marital disharmony. The
masturbational status of the individual was found to be significantly associated with the birth order
of the respondent, with almost 80% of the masturbators being the second or third child in their
families. The other factors which were found to have a signijicant bearing on masturbation were the
educational status of the parents. Girls of educated mothers were more likely to be masturbators.
Similarly, access to cable television was also found to exert a strong influence. Masturbators were
found to possess significantly better knowledge about normal human sexuality and sexual behavwur
in cornpatison with non-masturbators. The religious commitment of the girl had no signiJicant effect
on her masturbational status.

Introduction
The paradox of the health paradigm today, is that health, which is a positive and
constructive attribute, is often regarded as the absence of a negative and destructive

Correspondence to: Vinit Sharma, Department of Community Medicine, P. S. Medical College &?S. K.
Hospital, KARAMSAD-388 325. Anand. Gujarat, India.
Received for publication 5 August 1995; accepted 29 October 1997.

0267-4653/98/010063-08 0 British Association for Sexual and Marital Therapy

 64 Vinit Sharma €9Anuragini Sharma

attribute, that is disease. Such an equation effectively nullifies the positiveness

associated with the concept of health. In the same vein, it is hardly surprising that
the concept of reproductivehexual health has generally been equated with
abstinence (or, absence of any form of sexual activity) in the Indian sociocultural
milieu. This appears to be merely a consequence of the preoccupation of the Indian
population with strategies for survival. Over the centuries, Indians have coped with
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the combined onslaught of high maternal and infant mortality rates, and an ensuing
increase in fertility. This seems to have resulted in a constant fear for survival, which
has gradually eroded all feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment associated with
sexuality. Consequently, with the passage of time, the concept of sexual health has
been narrowed down to policies of survival of the mother and the child.
Today, however, the scenario is different. Health is increasingly being seen as
a positive attribute, and mortality rates have generally been brought down to
acceptable levels. As such, it is an appropriate opportunity to promote the true
concept of sexualheproductive health in Indian society. However, such a step
requires utmost caution, given the intimate association of reproductive health with
sociocultural factors (Vance, 1991; Tuzin, 1991; DeLamater, 1981; Gupta, 1994).
The shift from reproductive sexuality to non-reproductive sexuality needs to be
gradual and within acceptable social standards. These issues need to be addressed
to a continuously enlarging young population in the country. Social considerations
and religious sentiments in India preclude any advances concerning premarital
sexual unions; therefore it seems rational and pertinent to promote other socially
acceptable forms of sexual outlet (Gupta, 1994; Sharma, 1996). Under such
circumstances, a normal, physiological process such as masturbation assumes a key
role, and it is essential that myths and misbeliefs associated with this process be
dispelled.
Masturbation is variously known as ‘playing with oneself or self-stimulation, or
sexual self-pleasure and has been defined as ‘the process of self-stimulation designed
to produce erotic arousal and sexual satisfaction’. Organically, there is no difference
between sexual intercourse and masturbation; hence masturbation does not have
any unique physical effects on the body or the mind. It is a good way to learn about
one’s sexual reactions and sexual responses but, unfortunately, this process has been
shrouded in mystification and controversy in the Indian social set-up. This has
resulted in the emergence of numerous myths and misconceptions, which appear to
have percolated down to the lowest stratum of the society. The social denial of any
form of sex education has resulted in the propagation of ignorance on sexual
matters. Over the centuries, Indian boys have harboured feelings of guilt associated
with the Dhat Syndrome, that equates the loss of semen with loss of vital life-force.
Similarly, girls in India have to cope with various social strictures and restrictions
linked to the process of menstruation (Gupta, 1994; Sharma et al. 1996; Sharma,
1996).
There is a general paucity of data on the sexual behaviour of adolescent girls in
Indian society as well as on their knowledge Concerning sexual matters. This study
is part of a larger survey which was undertaken to determine knowledge about
human sexuality, the physiology of reproduction and contraception among first year
 Masturbation among college girls 65

college girls, and to assess the role of various demographic and sociocultural factors
like parental education; socioeconomic background, etc. on their awareness status
(Sharma & Sharma 1996). Only the findings on masturbation among the girls
studied are presented in detail here.
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Methods

The study was carried out in the Anand Taluka of Gujarat, India (a Taluka is an
administrative sub-unit of a district). There are three girls’ colleges in the area,
where only girls who have completed their higher secondary education in science
subjects are enrolled. All unmarried, first-year woman students Erom these colleges,
numbering 530, were included in the study. We did not include girls from
co-educational institutions because the total number of female students in such
institutions was very small. The rationale for selecting girls with a background in
science subjects was the assumption that such girls would have a better idea of
human anatomy and physiology compared to students with a humanities or social
sciences background, and would be more comfortable in answering some of the
questions.
Data were obtained with the help of a two-page, pretested, structured survey
instrument. The questionnaire was finalized after performing a test-re-test for
reliability among a few students. The questionnaire was distributed to the girls by
class teachers, who were also instrumental in translating some of the ‘technical’
terms to the girls in their local dialects. The objectives of the study were explained
to the teachers, who were requested just to provide translations and not to offer any
explanations for the terms that the girls did not understand.
The self-administered, anonymous questionnaire consisted of two parts:
Section 1 contained general information on the demographic and socioeconomic
background of the respondent, and questions about her own sexual behaviour.
Section 2 included 25 structured, closed, true-false type questions (each with only
one possible correct answer), related to fertility/pregnancy (e.g. a woman can
become pregnant after sexual intercourse even without the male achieving orgasm);
contraception (pregnancy can be avoided by thoroughly washing the vagina with
waterkoap and water immediately after sexual intercourse); sexual arousalhesponse;
the general anatomy and physiology of reproduction (the amount of pleasure during
sexual intercourse is dependent on the size of the male sexual organ) and sexually
transmitted diseases, or STDs (STDs are caused by having sexual intercourse with
a woman during her menstrual period). For each correct answer one point was
awarded, and the points total comprised the knowledge score for that individual
(range: 0-25). Thus higher scale scores indicated a better level of knowledge about
sexual matters (Sharma & Sharma 1996).

Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis of the data was carried out with the help of EPI-INFO version
5.01 (Centre for Disease and Control and Prevention, Atlanta and WHO, 1991),
 66 Vinit Sharma &Anuragini Sharma

TABLE
I. Socio-demographicprofde of adolescent girls (total population)

Parameter studied Frequency Percentage

Age (inyears) 17 406 76.6

18 91 17.2
19 33 6.2
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Birth order 1 197 37.2

2 170 32.1
3 102 19.2
4+ 61 11.5
Parental education score"
0-1 33 6.2
2-3 112 21.1
4-5 25 1 47.4
6 134 25.3

Residence in hostel
Yes 270 50.9
No 260 49.1
Perception of knowledge
I possess adequate knowledge 313 59.1
I do not possess adequate knowledge 217 40.9

'The parental education scores refer to the combined scores for the
educational status of both the father and the mother considered
separately on a scale ranging from 0-3 (Illiterate = 0; Primary = 1;
Secondary = 2; Graduate = 3).

and SPSS for Windows (version 6.0). The qualitative (ordinal) variables were coded
using the concept of effects coding andor contrast coding, wherever applicable.

Results
A total of 530 girls was studied of whom almost 51% (n = 270) were residing in
hostels. Ninety-one per cent of the respondents (n = 481) were Hindus while the
remaining were Christians and Muslims. The mean age of respondents was 17.3
( 2 1.38) with a range of 17-19 years. About 30% admitted that they masturbated.
None of them had experienced sexual intercourse and all of them indicated a
heterosexual inclination. The mean knowledge score with respect to human
sexuality was 6.38 ( 2 4.25) on a scale of 25, with a median of 6. Details about the
sociodemographic profile of respondents are given in Table I.
With respect to masturbation, it was observed that almost one-third of the
studied girls were masturbators, but the fragmentary nature of data on sexual
attitudes and behaviour of adolescent girls in India makes comparisons with other
studies difficult. Almost 81% of the girls had started masturbating between the ages
of 12 and 15 years, with the mean age at first masturbation being 13.74 years, and
 Masturbation among college girls 67

the median age being 15 years. The frequency of masturbation varied from one to
five times per week, with a population average of 2.66 and a median of three times
per week. The frequency of masturbation was significantly associated with the
residential status of the respondent (i.e. residence in a hostel vis h vis living with
parents). All the girls who were practising masturbation felt that it was a bad thing
which caused weakness, disease, infertility and marital disharmony. They admitted
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to deriving pleasure from it, but in all of them masturbation was associated with a
feeling of guilt, anxiety and shame.
The masturbational status of the individual was found to be significantly
associated with the birth order of the respondent. We observed that among the girls
who reported to have practised masturbation, almost 80% were second or third in
birth order, while only 20% were the first children in their families. This is
significant given that the distribution of girls with respect to birth order was
more-or-less uniform in the total sample of 530 girls studied (birth order 1 = 37.2%;
birth order 2=32.1%; birth order 3 = 19.2%). We also observed a positive
relationship between masturbation and the respondent’s overall knowledge of
normal human sexuality and sexual behaviour. Masturbators scored significantly
higher points in comparison to non-masturbators. Only seven out of the total 530
girls studied by us admitted to having ever come across any type of pornographic
literature (defined as, ‘any visual material depicting human beings in obscene and/or
vulgar positions, either alone, in pairs or, in groups’); all of these were hostel
residents.
The other factor which was found to have a significant bearing on masturbation
was the educational status of the parents. Girls of educated mothers were more likely
to be masturbators. Access to cable television was also found to exert a strong
influence. Almost 82% of the studied girls indicated strong religious inclinations but
the girl’s religious feelings had no significant effect on her masturbational status
(Table 11).

Discussion
Masturbation or, autoeroticism is a normal phenomenon, and studies from all over
the world have shown that both boys and girls masturbate. Kinsey et al. found that,
for adolescent boys, masturbation provides a form of sexual outlet which alleviates
their nervous tensions (Abramson, 1973; Kinsey et al., 1953). They have also found
that most females masturbate for the sake of immediate sexual satisfaction, and as
a means of resolving the physiologic disturbances which arise when they are sexually
aroused, but are restrained by social customs from having sociosexual contacts
(Kinsey et al., 1953; Ellis, 1955; Bhatia & Malik, 1991). Thus, in orthodox and
conservative societies, where premarital sexual activities are still unacceptable,
masturbation offers the only means of sexual outlet for adolescents. There have been
a few studies on masturbation among young boys in India (Sharma et al., 1996;
Bhatia & Malik, 1991; Savara & Sridhar, 1992; Bhende, 1994) but there is a paucity
of data with reference to the status of masturbation among girls in our country.
We observed that almost one-third of the girls studied by us were masturbators.
 68 Vinit Sharma €9Anuragini Sharma

TABLE
11. Determinants of the masturbational status of the girl

Frequency in Frequency in
masturbators non-masturbators Chi-square
Parameter studied (n= 160) (n = 370) (PI

Mean knowledge score with 8.96' 5.26' < 0.000

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reference to human sexualid

(Max. possible score = 25)
Exposure to pornography (Yes) 7 (4.4) 2 (0.5) < 0.001
Exposure to cable television (Yes) 108 (67.5) 112 (30.2) 0.000
Birth order
1 33 (20.6) 137 (37.2)
2 87 (54.4) 118 (32.1)
3 24 (15.0) 72 (19.2)
4+ 16 (10.0) 43 (11.5)
Religious commitment (Yes) 125 (78.1) 303 (81.8) 0.13
Residence in hostel (Yes) 101 (63.1) 169 (45.6) 0.000
Maternal educational status 0.000
Paternal educational status 0.003
Parental educational status 0.000

'Mean knowledge score for the total sample = 6.38 ( ? 4.25).

Figures in parentheses indicate percentages.

This figure seems low when compared with data for girls from Western countries,
where a prevalence ranging from 58% to 70% has been reported (Abramson &
Mechanic, 1983; Hyde, 1990; Kelly, 1994; Leitenberg et d.,1993; Michael et al.,
1994; Reinisch, 1990). This may be explained on the basis of differences in the sexual
mores and norms in these societies or, alternatively, it could merely be a consequence
of underreporting in our study. However, this finding merits attention because it belies
the general assumption that girls in puritanical and orthodox societies, such as India,
do not practise masturbation. It may also be regarded as a development of the
weakening of social control mechanisms and the relative liberalization of social norms
regarding sexual behaviour in modern Indian society. This view is further reinforced
by the observation that a large percentage of girls who admitted masturbating were
those resident in hostels. Residence in a hostel is associated with lower inhibitions, a
lower degree of social control, and an easier and more liberal access to various types
of print and audiovisual media containing sexually explicit information.
A number of scientific studies has conclusively demonstrated the intimate
relationship between exposure to different types of mass media and the sexual
behaviour of an individual (Heine, 1980; Brown et al., 1990; Bearinger, 1990;
Abramson, 1983; Lottes et al., 1993; Wilson & Abelson, 1973). Our observation
that girls with access to cable television are more likely to be masturbators, confirms
this hypothesis. However, it is pertinent to note that there are various other
confounding factors (such as a high socioeconomic status, better educational status
of parents, etc.) which are associated with access to cable television, and which can
influence the sexual behaviour of an individual independently.
 Masturbation among college girls 69

We observed a positive relationship between birth order and the masturbational

status of the individual. This could be explained by the fact that, in such a situation,
the girl is likely to receive some form of sex education from her elder siblings,
thereby making her feel more comfortable with her own body and sexuality. This
argument is further supported by our observation that masturbators possessed
a significantly higher knowledge about human sexuality in comparison to
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non-masturbators (Sharma & Sharma, 1996).

The religion of the girl had no significant impact on her masturbational status.
Similarly, we did not find any differences in the prevalence of masturbation among
girls from different religions. This finding is consistent with studies conducted in
other parts of the world (Sheeran et al., 1993; King et al., 1976). It appears that
during the period of adolescence, peer influences, socioeconomic factors and
familial factors have a much greater impact on the sexual orientation and behaviour
of an individual compared with religious factors.
Masturbation has for centuries been variously labelled as a degenerate perversion
and a pleasant, self-indulgent pastime. The pairing of these two strongly emotional
responses, viz. the physical pleasure and the learned disgust for it, provides the basis
for a sexually guilty conscience (Kelly, 1983; Bullough, 1997; Greenbank, 1961;
MacDonald, 1967; Hare, 1962; Arafat & Cotton, 1974). We found that all the girls
who were masturbators had developed a strong feeling of anxiety and guilt. Moreover,
a large number of them associated masturbation with the causation of diseases,
infertility and marital disharmony. This is a cause as well as a consequence of the
perpetuation of myths and misbeliefs. Masturbation is a normal physiological
phenomenon, which permits people to satisfy their sexual urges and desires, without
indulging in socially prohibited sexual relationships (Davidson, 1984). It is indeed
ironic that, in this era of sociocultural and economic liberalization, adolescents should
suffer from guilt and shame because of masturbation. Our findings reiterate the
significance of incorporation of some form of sex education in the school curriculum.

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Contributors
VINITSI-IARMA,MBBS; MD; DH 81 HM, Additional Professor and Head, Department
of Community Medicine.
ANURAGINI SHARMA, MBBS, Tutor