Sexual strangulation – often referred to as ‘choking’ – has found its way into the sexual expectations and experiences of a generation of young people.
New ground-breaking research¹ with over 4,700 Australians aged 18-35 has revealed the alarming rates at which young Australians are engaging in sexual strangulation:
57%
reported being strangled by a partner during sex
51%
said they had strangled their partner during sex
Sexual strangulation is a significantly gendered practice:
78%
of transgender and non-binary people
reported being strangled during sex
61%
of women reported ever being strangled during sex
43%
of men reported ever being strangled during sex
These findings from Australia are broadly consistent with those of a large US study² of university students which revealed that:
64%
of women have been choked during sex
29%
of men have been choked during sex
55%
of transgender or non-binary people
have been choked during sex
Sexual strangulation is usually enacted by men, regardless of the gender of their partner.³
49%
of men have choked a partner during sex
25%
of men choked their partner last time they had sex
¹ Sharman, Fitzgerald & Douglas, 2024.
² Herbenick, Patterson et al, 2021.
³ Herbenick, Fu et al, 2021.
We can’t allow this shift in cultural norms to continue unchallenged. Young people need to hear that sexual strangulation is not something you can do safely.