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French writer the Marquis de Sade once argued that sex is as important as food or drink and should be indulged without false modesty. However, a new sociological study conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) for the sex shop chain Espaceplaisir suggests that times — and young people’s attitudes toward physical intimacy — have changed dramatically, Euronews reports.

A survey of 1,011 girls and young women aged 15 to 29 shows that the importance of sex in Gen Z’s lives is steadily declining.

Sex is no longer a priority

A full analysis of the data reveals a sharp contrast with the end of the 20th century:

• Only 38% of girls aged 15 to 24 consider sexual activity to be very important or an essential part of life. In 1990, this figure stood at a striking 62%.
• The share of young French women in the same age group who consider sex “essential” has dropped from 14% to 9%.
• Nearly 50% of Gen Z respondents said sex is either not very important or not important at all to them. Notably, these figures remain largely consistent regardless of whether respondents identify as heterosexual, bisexual, or lesbian.

François Kraus, head of politics and current affairs at Ifop, explains this as a counter-cyclical shift: the new generation is moving away from the “hypersexualization” that was fashionable in the 1980s and 1990s. Today’s youth are more focused on quality rather than quantity. In addition, the influence of feminist discourse has helped restore legitimacy to female pleasure.

Life without sex and platonic relationships

One of the most striking findings of the study concerns attitudes toward relationships without physical intimacy:

• 52% of respondents said they could continue living with a partner without having sex.
• 56% of women aged 18 to 24 can easily imagine purely platonic relationships with their partner.

Sex toys replacing partners

A declining interest in partnered sex paradoxically coexists with overall sexual satisfaction. As many as 74% of girls aged 18 to 24 said they are “satisfied” with their sex life. However, 62% of women aged 20 to 24 reported sometimes feeling bored during sex with a partner (compared to 42% in 1996).

Ifop attributes this balance to the growing use of sex toys. Over the past 40 years, female masturbation rates have roughly tripled, and adult toys have become widely normalized. According to the survey, 36% of women aged 18 to 24 already use sex toys alone (compared to 30% in 2017). If partnered sex is unsatisfying, women now have alternative and accessible ways to achieve pleasure independently.

The abolition of “conjugal duty” in law

The study also touches on an important legal shift: the concept of a “conjugal duty” still remains deeply rooted in public consciousness. However, France has been moving to challenge it at the state level.

Earlier this year, members of parliament in the National Assembly and the Senate approved a bill removing the idea of a marital obligation to have sex. The amendment to the French Civil Code explicitly states that “cohabitation” does not create any “obligation to engage in sexual relations.”

“By allowing such a right or obligation to exist, we collectively validate a system of domination and predation of husband over wife,” said the bill’s sponsor, Green Party MP Marie-Charlotte Garin. “Marriage cannot be a bubble in which consent to sex is considered permanent and lifelong.”

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