THE PREVALENCE AND SOME ATTRIBUTES OF FEMALES IN THE SADOMASOCHISTIC SUBCULTURE - A 2ND REPORT

Nonprostitute women in the sadomasochism (S/M) subculture have been be lieved to be rare. A sample of 45 women from the S/M subculture of who m 34 were determined to be nonprostitutes was obtained. This sample is compared with a similar sample obtained by Breslow et al. (1985). Des pite methodological differences between the present investigation and that of Breslow et al., interstudy similarities permit conclusions abo ut women in the SIM subculture in addition to the fact that they occur with sufficient frequency to study. The women become aware of their o rientation as young adults and most are satisfied with it. They tend t o be better educated and less often married than the general populatio n. A majority designate themselves as heterosexual but a substantial m inority are bisexual They tend more often to prefer the submissive rol e but preference for the dominant role or no preference are found with considerable frequency. Oral sex and bondage are favored activities.