The Great Australian
Cliteracy Test

You might know it as the ‘clit’, the ‘bean’, the ‘love button’, or even (apparently) the ‘little man in the canoe’ – but how much do you really know about the clitoris?

This month, we're making it all about the clit with our campaign for pleasure: this girl came. But when we put the nation's knowledge to the test, we realised that most people still don't know enough about this phenomenal part of the anatomy.

Here, you’ll find out what percentage of people actually know where the clitoris is. You’ll also get a chance to win up to $500 worth of clitoral suction sex toys when you take The Australian Cliteracy test below.*

The majority of Aussies aren’t cliterate

When shown a diagram of the clitoral anatomy, slightly less than a third (29%) confidently said ‘yes, I know what this is’. But when we asked them to name it, only 11% correctly identified it as the clitoris.

Surely most people know where to find the clit on the body, even if they don’t recognise the diagram? 83% of respondents agree, telling us with confidence that they do know where the clitoris is. However, when shown a diagram of the vulva in all its glory, just one in two identified the correct location of the clitoris.

Gen Z and Millennials proved to be the most cliterate generations, with 35% of those aged 18-34 correctly identifying the clitoris. Knowledge dropped significantly among older age groups, with just 18% of people aged 55-64 and 17% of those aged 65+ correctly identifying the clitoris in the diagram.

Did you know...?

• The clitoris is the pleasure centre of the female reproductive anatomy

• It has over 10,000 nerve endings, more than double that of a penis

• It’s the only human organ whose primary function is pleasure

• The full internal anatomy of the clitoris wasn’t mapped until 1998

• The first 3D images of the clitoris weren’t produced until 2008

• The root of the word ‘clitoris’ is often thought to stem from Ancient Greece, ‘kleitoris’, meaning ‘Little Hill’ or ‘To Rub’

Masturbation masters or cliterally challenged?

“The clitoris contains a dense network of nerve endings and, as research suggests, is central to orgasm for many women,” explains Sarah Mulindwa, a sexual health nurse.

And yet, the clitoris still gets overlooked. We showed our female respondents another diagram of the vulva and asked which areas they stimulate during masturbation.

Only 24% of women say they stimulate the clitoris during self-pleasure. We also asked women if they needed to guide their partner to their clitoris, and 2 in 5 women (40%) said they do.

“The clitoris is not small nor is it difficult to stimulate the thousands of nerve endings that trigger orgasms, however the research shows that it’s hit or miss [whether it gets stimulated], especially for heterosexual women who are having penis in vagina (PIV) sex,” says Dr Suzanne Belton.

It’s always worth exploring different kinds of stimulation during sex or self-pleasure, as you might discover a whole new sensation that feels good to you. From the earlobes to the toes, everyone has their own unique combination of erogenous zones that can feel amazing to touch.

“Although pleasure is all about discovery and choice, if the majority of women aren’t stimulating the clitoris during masturbation, they could be holding back a key aspect of their pleasure journey,” Sarah Mulindwa adds.

Where are people learning about the clitoris?

It’s easy to write off romantic partners for not knowing where the clitoris is or what it looks like, but we should also understand why. From the research, we found that only 19% of people (and 19% of females) remember learning anything at all about the clitoris during sex education in school.

Asked specifically about where they learned about female sexual anatomy, 26% of female respondents said they had never learned about it, while a further 20% say they taught themselves. Men are most likely to learn from their partners (15%), but 16% also say that pornography has taught them the most about female sexual anatomy.

“Understanding one’s body is a fundamental aspect of health literacy,” says Sarah. “Comprehensive sex education equips individuals with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their own body and communicate effectively about health and wellbeing." That’s why it’s important to us to shine a light on general cliteracy rates in Australia.

The Orgasm Gap

The orgasm gap is still unfortunately alive and kicking, as the data revealed almost two-thirds (60%) of women have faked an orgasm, compared to 22% of men.

Men in particular appear confident, but not necessarily correct, with many overestimating their understanding of female anatomy. While 79% of men said they knew where the clitoris is, more than half (51%) were unable to identify it in a diagram of the vulva.

“The research shows that men, especially heterosexual men, overestimated their knowledge and that could be due to porn, which men used much more often than women,” says Dr. Suzanne Belton. “Guys, back to school and more homework!”

Clearly, we have work to do when it comes to educating everyone on sexual anatomy and supporting women to ask for the pleasure they need. With this girl came, our goal is to show the power of clitoral stimulation and give women more options for pleasure that work with their anatomy.

Are you cliterate? Take the test

Think that you have what it takes to pass the Australian Cliteracy Test? Challenge your knowledge by taking the test yourself.

If you answer all the questions correctly and subscribe to our newsletter, you’ll get the chance to win up to $500 worth of toys – including the Womanizer Classic 2 and a Lovehoney Rose.*

Womanizer is a leading sex toy brand for women and pioneer of clitoral suction technology, which stimulates the clitoris with air pulses instead of vibrations. Our iconic Lovehoney Rose uses a similar motor to tease the clitoris, letting you dial up the intensity level without overstimulating this sensitive area. These toys are primed to help anyone with a vulva discover incredible clitoral pleasure, and can be used during partnered sex or solo play.

10 runners up will receive a Womanizer necklace in the shape of a clitoris, so you can wear it with pride to educate your lovers on this important pleasure zone!

*Check out the competition T&Cs.