SEXUAL PLEASURE EXPERIENCES OF SOUTH ASIAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Background: South Asians (SA) are one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States, yet SA women are often overlooked in sexual health research. Further, existing sexual health studies focus largely on risk and prevention, neglecting feminist and sex-positive perspectives. In this qualitative study, I examine the sexual pleasure experiences of SA immigrant young women in the United States both individually and with partner.

Methods: I conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 38 SA immigrant women aged 18–30 in February-March 2025. I recruited participants through purposive and referral sampling around a university campus via word-of-mouth, social media, and SA cultural centers. I conducted interviews in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Marathi, then translated, transcribed, coded, and analyzed them using reflexive thematic analysis (TA). I used Black Feminist Thought and Intimate Justice Framework to guide the data collection and analysis, examining how interlocking social identities affect sexual pleasure experiences of the participants.

Results: I captured the participants’ experiences with: (1) body dissatisfaction and sexual pleasure (2) unwanted sex with their partner. I found that SA immigrant women’s sexual pleasure is shaped by intersecting systems of oppression, including colorism, cultural surveillance, Western beauty standards, and patriarchal norms. These forces led to participants’ body dissatisfaction, low genital self-image, and self-consciousness during sex, leading some participants to avoid masturbation and oral sex. Gendered expectations positioned sex as a duty and stigmatized participants’ desire, resulting in unwanted sexual experiences. Many participants internalized feelings of un-deservingness and suppressed their sexual needs to maintain relationship harmony. While some found temporary relief through migration and supportive relationships, the root causes of these struggles were structural, not individual.

Conclusion: These findings highlight how structural inequities rooted in gendered, racialized, and cultural norms undermine SA women’s sexual agency and pleasure. I call for culturally grounded interventions, including pleasure-based sex education, women’s peer support groups, and legal reforms that affirm women’s desires, challenge stigma, and recognize the emotional and embodied dimensions of consent.