The Sexual Well-Being of Female Involuntary Celibates (Femcels)

Femcels (female involuntary celibates) are an online collection of women united by their shared frustrations in forming romantic and sexual relationships. Although femcels share some similar views with their male incel counterparts regarding dating and the importance society places on one’s physical attractiveness, there are also clear differences in how sexlessness relates to societal conceptualizations of masculinity and femininity and how this may manifest in their sexual well-being. The present research is the first known empirical investigation on femcels themselves. Thirteen domains of sexual well-being assessed using the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire were compared between 61 femcel and 58 non-femcel women. Results indicated that femcels experience a greater degree of sexual distress overall, including lower sexual self-esteem and sexual satisfaction and greater sexual preoccupation, sexual anxiety, sexual depression, and fear of sexual relationships. Issues related to sexual locus of control were also evident. These results reiterate the concerns voiced in femcel forums while also highlighting the importance of sexual preoccupation and its relationship with several negative sexual well-being outcomes. Implications are discussed.