Becoming Cliterate

In this empowering guide, a psychology professor and human sexuality expert offers a radical, simple solution to progress and pleasure for all—EQUALITY + SEX = ORGASMS

Our culture’s flawed way of thinking about sex is screwing with women’s orgasms. We’ve separated our most reliable route to orgasm—clitoral stimulation—from how we feel we should orgasm—penetration. As a result, as many as half of women admit to having trouble reaching orgasm with their partners. No surprise, then, that men are having at least three times as many orgasms as women. And for first-time hookup sex? Only 4 percent of women are getting off.

In Becoming Cliterate, Dr. Laurie Mintz exposes the broader cultural problem that’s perpetuating this gap, and what we can do about it. Pulling together evidence from biology, sociology, linguistics, and sex therapy into one comprehensive, accessible, and prescriptive book, Mintz dispels the lies, misunderstandings, and myths that have been holding us back, replacing them with updated outlooks and practical skills needed to change our collective perspective on sex.

In a time when we need both personal and political answers more than ever, Becoming Cliterate explores the way everyday sexism has made its way into our bedrooms. Dr. Mintz provides fascinating, little-known information about the female anatomy and offers concrete advice on how to feel entitled to your own pleasure and develop sexual communication skills that will lead to the best conversations—and sex—you’ve ever had.

“Quality sex is only possible with true sexual equality,” Dr. Mintz says. “We’ve never—at any point in Western history—had a time where the majority of the population valued women’s way of orgasm as equal to a man’s. It’s time to change history.”