The findings of the Outlook-Moods Opinion Poll 2009 on the sexual mindsets of urban Indian men in the 24-34 years age group have scored a goal. The word ‘change’, optimistically tossed around in the playground of sex surveys for years, is now officially the captain of the game. Acceptance of male-female equality has coupled with the male ego to give birth to the Beta Male. Not the dominating, growling, impatient bedroom partner but a clever young man, quickly aroused and usually satiated. He now understands that sex, like anger, politics or the handling of a TV remote control needs some strategy, some fair play. When needed, he can be the indulgent son, the amused boyfriend, the tolerant spouse, the experimental lover.
If the Beta Male sounds like an underrated aside of master strategist Lord Krishna, then, well, you are beginning to get the picture. He is a player, not a loser. He likes his women “Western with Indian values”, and while monogamous, intimate relationships fuel him most, he is open to one-night stands too. His girlfriends should be emotionally and financially independent, but they shouldn’t be impatient about dropping their panties. He will sleep with his female boss for promotions but is still obsessed with his woman’s virginity. The Beta Male is having fun in a threesome fantasy titled I, Me, Mine.
| If given a chance, for which of the following reasons would you sleep with a female boss? | |
| Professional gains (promotion or better salary etc) | 33 |
| Feeling of power | 14 |
| Just for fun | 31 |
| Show off your influence among peers | 4 |
| Won’t sleep with a female boss | 18 |
| What do you think of women who quickly agree to sex for pleasure without hang- ups? | |
| I prefer those who show some restraint | 22 |
| I see them as having low character | 22 |
| I get turned on by them | 21 |
| I’m not turned on by such women | 12 |
| They want to satisfy themselves | 21 |
50% men in Nagpur wear the latest fashion, 25% prefer one-night stands, 92% insist on contraceptives during sex and 82% believe free communication on sexual issues indicates a perfect sexual relationship. |
| What kind of sexual relationships do you look forward most to? | |
| Monogamous and intimate | 71 |
| One-night stands | 19 |
| Orgies | 5 |
| Partner-swapping | 5 |
| What do you think women find most attractive in men? | |
| Money and power | 24 |
| Good height and physique | 18 |
| Confidence, communication abilities | 16 |
| Machismo | 7 |
| Polite behaviour | 9 |
| Successful career | 15 |
| Intelligence | 5 |
| Good sense of humour | 7 |
| What kind of women do you find sexually most attractive? | |
| Modern but with Indian values | 59 |
| Westernised and independent attitude | 26 |
| Conservative with Indian traditions | 16 |
| How important is oral sex to you during an encounter? | |
| Extremely important | 31 |
| Somewhat important | 33 |
| Neutral | 17 |
| Somewhat not important | 9 |
| Extremely not important | 10 |
| What is a perfect sexual relationship? (multiple response) | |
| Both partners satisfying each other | 64 |
| Frequent sex | 35 |
| Experimentation, sexual creativity | 35 |
| Freely communicating on sex | 42 |
| How important is it to satisfy your sexual partner? | |
| Extremely important | 76 |
| Somewhat important | 16 |
| Neutral | 7 |
| Somewhat not important | 0 |
| Extremely not important | 0 |
32% Lucknow men said they were sexually attracted to |
| What differences do you perceive between women of your generation and of one generation ago? | |
| Now, girls are independent and have few emotional problems | 29 |
| Now, girls are aggressive, demanding | 26 |
| Now, they are sexually very open and initiate sex | 23 |
| Now, girls think they know everything, that’s a big turn-off for me | 9 |
| All of the above | 12 |
| Do you insist upon having sex with your girlfriend so that you can know each other better? | |
| Yes | 51 |
| No | 49 |
| Do you agree that a woman's virginity has nothing to do with a sexual relationship and it is time we stopped making a big deal out of it? | |
| Strongly agree | 39 |
| Somewhat agree | 31 |
| Neutral | 14 |
| Somewhat disagree | 7 |
| Strongly disagree | 9 |
| What is the most important reason for masturbating? | |
| The absence of a sexual partner | 53 |
| Does not require as much physical effort as sex | 9 |
| Don’t find partner attractive anymore | 5 |
| Partner not sexually interested | 5 |
| Safer than having paid sex | 13 |
| Helps to relieve stress | 9 |
| Do you think men and women should have the same sexual rights and freedom? | |
| Yes, they should have equal sexual freedom | 60 |
| No, we can never be equal and women should remember this | 19 |
| Men should have more freedom | 10 |
| Depends on the kind of woman she is | 11 |
| What do you most fantasise about when having sex with your partner? | |
| I don't fantasise about anything during sex | 54 |
| About any other woman | 14 |
| About group sex or such kinky scenario | 6 |
| I try to remember better sexual encounters with my partner | 26 |
| If you had a chance to have sex with a woman but at the cost of losing the friendship of a good friend, would you? | |
| Will prefer friendship | 66 |
| Have sex | 22 |
| Don’t know | 12 |
37% Chandigarh men and 26% from Patna said they masturbated |
| What do you do to have an interesting sexual life? | |
| Try different role-plays and positions with the same partner | 58 |
| Try to have multiple partners | 17 |
| Use sex toys | 5 |
| Change locations | 20 |
| Can a marriage survive even if there is unsatisfactory sex between the couple? | |
| No it cannot | 47 |
| Yes, it can | 27 |
| If other adjustments are good, it does not matter | 20 |
| Don’t know/Can’t say | 5 |
87% Bangalore men admitted to having had paid sex at least 1-2 times whereas the 10-city average was only 27 per cent! |
61% of Bangalore men admitted to premarital sex, |
| Do you think it is important for your ego to perform well in bed? | |
| Yes | 61 |
| No | 30 |
| Which physical characteristic in women attracts you most? | |
| Shapely figure | 38 |
| Prominent breasts | 31 |
| Prominent butt | 11 |
| Fair skin | 12 |
| Navel | 3 |
| Big eyes | 5 |
| All figures in percentage | |
(Survey conducted by MDRA in Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Patna, Nagpur, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kochi from November 14 to 23. Sample size: 1,088 adult males in 24-34 age group. Figures have been rounded off, so percentages may not add up to 100.) | |
Methodology
The Outlook-Moods Sex Survey was done by Marketing and Development Research Associates (MDRA). A randomly chosen sample of total 1,088 adult males in the age group of 24–34 years were surveyed in ten Indian cities—Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Patna, Nagpur, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kochi.
A structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents by trained investigators of MDRA in a one-to-one interview. The field survey was conducted between November 14 and November 23, 2009. The socio-economic class of the sample size was SEC A1, A2 and B1. A total number of 713 men surveyed lived in nuclear families while 375 belonged to joint families. Out of these 532 were married and living with spouse; 41 were married but living without spouse. A total number of 193 were unmarried but in a committed relationship whereas 322 were neither married nor in a committed relationship.
