[possibly NSFW] Are men really more likely than women to have sexual fetishes?

“An estimated 2 to 4 percent of males have a fetish arousal pattern, said Washington, D.C., psychologist Barry McCarthy, who authored the 2008 book “Men’s Sexual Health.”

While it is commonly believed that men alone develop fetishes, more and more women have been seeking treatment in recent years, psychologists told ABCNews.com.”

ABC News

In the men I’ve ever had sexual interaction with, none has ever admitted a fetish nor had I ever discovered one.

A fetish is more like an addiction than a preference. We’ve all have preferences and titillations.

From my experience? No. If anything, it’s the other way around…

Perhaps women are just more likely to feel they need to hide their fetishes, making it seem like more men have them.

Ditto @HungryGuy

Women are dark horses with deep dark needs…....

Hiding from whom would the (some) women their fetish(es).
If a woman is in a relationship why would she not tell her partner what she desires?
If it is a healthy relationship both can tell their likes and dislikes to each other, I would think, so if one of the couple has a fetish it should not be much more difficult to tell them.
Also worth noting is that a fetish is more than I like you to pinch my nipples as @Neizvestnaya also pointed out.
It would be ideal when someone feels secure enough and trusted enough in their relationship to be open about their fetish.
Of course you can only wish to have ran in to a partner that appreciate it and participate in it.

I wouldn’t know. But Freud only discussed erotic fetishism as it applied to men. Maybe that is where the notion comes from.

It is my personal conclusion that the greater the testosterone saturation a person has, the greater they are to experience things like hair-trigger sexuality. Testosterone sort of primes the sexual response, and if you have a lot of it, more things can trigger the response – such as a fetish object. (Ever notice that the hungrier you are, the more foods look appetizing, even ones that you might not like when you’re not hungry? Same idea.)

It’s fairly common knowledge that men have more testosterone going on than women, and will thereby have more of a fetish issue. However, testosterone is not an all-or-nothing hormone; pretty much everyone has it in varying degrees. I suspect that higher-testosterone women will be the ones that are likelier to be fetish-prone than women with less testosterone, and the same would be true of men.

NO. Women are way more likely.

Guys just want in and out. Think about it.

Why do women hide it? I fully announce what I would like during sex

It all depends on the persons. Studies can be made of a lot of people but some won’t admit the truth while others will just fantasize and lie about it.

@marinelife 2 to 4% seems like an incredibly low number.
I would have put it about 30%.

I’d say they are just more likely to communicate it b/c there is less fear of judgement.

Can you really hide a fetish? If you have a fetish, you can’t get sexual gratification without it, right? So if your partner doesn’t figure it out pretty quickly, how much fun can you have?

@6grant6 Not really… sometimes the fetish is something ‘extra’ but not necessary to achieve arousal

@thesparrow So your definition of “fetish” is what? I’m using the one from International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Fetishism is the use of inanimate objects as a stimulus to achieve sexual arousal and satisfaction; in most cases said object is required for sexual gratification.

I realize there are more colloquial uses of the word. It probably would help to clarify whether this is the pathological fetishism, or just the parakinky use of it.

@6rant6 – Fetishes can be based on inanimate objects, but most fetishes are based more often on sexual (or even non-sexual) activities than inanimate objects.

@6grant6 I guess you’re right, but sometimes one may have a bondage fetish which is not limited to objects but certain positions and circumstances. Also, I guess if you completely need that object to achieve sexual satisfaction that’s hardcore fetishism.

@HungryGuy Maybe “Predilections” is more appropriate for that discussion. Basically it seems that “feitsh” is referring to anything you like, not anything you require. Is that right?

Necessary and sufficient conditions. AHHAHA.

For those using “fetish” in a more general sense, is there an implication that a “Fetish” is some how apart from regular sex? More taboo? More idiosyncratic? Offensive to some? Uninteresting to some?

I mean it I like to have sex in missionary position with the lights off would you deem that a fetish?

A fetish can range from anything from dressing up as a nurse during foreplay, to being shackled to a wall and beaten savagely in order to orgasm, and everything in between. And I suppose if you need to have sex in the missionary position in the dark in order to get your rocks off, that might be considered a fetish :-p

@HungryGuy Obviously there is a wide range of activity, some of it apparently nonsexual to the uninitiated that may be called fetishism.

My question is, what is the thing that makes it a fetish? Yes, in the extreme case it’s required to achieve sexual fulfillment. But what is the least that it requires? Preference? Repetition? Fantasy?

Yes. I’ve been rubbed at human male’s private parts more than human females.

Obviously we have many different definitions of “fetish” going on here.

@Everyone Okay… what’s YOUR fettish!

*Sigh… I didn’t think so, but it was worth a shot!

Hee hee

It is completely untrue that men are more likely to have fetishes. Men are more likely to desire multiple partners or to have threesome fetishes, whereas women are more likely to have fetishes pertaining to bondage, role play, etc (something requiring only one partner)... but women are usually more adventurous in bed when they feel they can trust one partner, whereas for males trust is not usually necessary for sex. Oh, lucky guys.

I think both men & women have sexual fantasies- equally. Of course, women won’t ‘share’ their
fantasies with the men…