How Small Is Too Small For A Woman? [1,387-Woman Penis Size Study]

We surveyed 1,387 sexually active women about erect penis size, asking them directly:

How small is too small for a woman?

Along the way, we also uncovered how big is too big for women, whether length matters as much as width for female satisfaction, and exactly why small-penis sex tends to fall flat.

Here's what we found…

1. A 5-inch penis is too small for 38.5% of women.

2. A 9-inch penis is too big for 50.8% of women to feel sexually satisfied.

3. 64.5% of women say length and width matter equally for their sexual satisfaction.

4. 72.7% of women have slept with a partner they'd describe as small.

5. 79.5% of women rate sex with a small penis as unsatisfying.

6. "I couldn't feel their penis inside me" was the top reason (79.9%) women gave for small-penis sex feeling unsatisfying.

7. Sexual skill beyond size matters enormously for satisfying a woman if you're on the smaller side.

Note: Our full methodology appears at the bottom of this study.

1. A 5-Inch Penis Is Too Small For 38.5% Of Women

Penis size ranks among the most common anxieties men carry, with plenty of them wondering exactly where "too small" begins.

Adding to that anxiety, no solid data existed on what women actually consider too small — or too big, for that matter — until this study.

For every penis size, moving in 1-inch increments, we posed women a straightforward question:

Is this size enough to fully satisfy you sexually?

As sizes shrink, satisfaction drops right along with them, based on our results. Here's the full breakdown:

• A 9-inch penis is too small for 3.1% of women.
• An 8-inch penis is too small for 3.24% of women.
• A 7-inch penis is too small for 3.89% of women.
• A 6-inch penis is too small for 13.55% of women.
• A 5-inch penis is too small for 38.50% of women.
• A 4-inch penis is too small for 66.11% of women.
• A 3-inch penis is too small for 83.56% of women.
• A 2-inch penis is too small for 87.74% of women.
• A 1-inch penis is too small for 91.2% of women.

These numbers show precisely what share of women consider each penis size insufficient for full sexual satisfaction.

2. A 9-Inch Penis Is Too Big For 50.8% Of Women

We suspected there'd also be a point at which penis size tips over into "too big," creating discomfort or pain instead of pleasure.

When we asked our respondents how big counts as too big, the results turned out to be genuinely eye-opening:

• A 5-inch penis is too big for 1.2% of women.
• A 6-inch penis is too big for 4.5% of women.
• A 7-inch penis is too big for 7.9% of women.
• An 8-inch penis is too big for 19.8% of women.
• A 9-inch penis is too big for 50.8% of women.
• A 10-inch penis is too big for 61.1% of women.
• An 11-inch penis is too big for 72.6% of women.
• A 12-inch penis is too big for 83.4% of women.

These figures confirm that bigger isn't automatically better — quite the opposite, actually, since sizes of 9 inches or more turn out to be too big for over half of women.

As we found in our companion study, Does Size Matter, the Goldilocks penis size range — the sweet spot most women find sexually satisfying — falls between 6 and 8 inches (18.34 cm) in length. Anything above or below that range tends to satisfy women noticeably less.

3. 64.5% Of Women Say Length & Width Matter Equally For Sexual Satisfaction

Most conversations about penis size among men zero in on length alone — but is that really all women care about?

We set out to test whether width plays a meaningful role in female sexual satisfaction.

Turns out, it plays a big one.

Here's what the data showed:

• For 11% of women, length outweighs width in terms of satisfaction.
• 24.6% of women say width matters more than length.
• 64.5% of women consider length and width equally important.

Put together, that means nearly 9 out of 10 women (89.1%) rate width as at least as important as length when it comes to satisfaction.

4. 72.7% Of Women Have Slept With A Partner They Considered Small

Next, we looked at how many women had actually had sex with a partner they personally viewed as small.

72.7% of the women we surveyed said they'd had sex with a partner they considered small.

Thinking back to their most recent experience like this, they estimated their partner's size at 3.79 inches (9.63 cm) on average.

By comparison, a 2020 review pooling data from more than 20 studies pegged the average erect penis at 5.1–5.5 inches (12.9–13.97 cm) in length. Once the researchers adjusted for volunteer bias, they concluded the true average likely sits toward the lower end of that range [1]. Every measurement in that review was taken by researchers directly, not self-reported.

5. 79.5% Of Women Found Small-Penis Sex Unsatisfying

We then asked this same group of women whether their most recent small-penis experience left them satisfied or not.

The answer was clear: 79.5% called it unsatisfying.

It's fair to say most women simply don't find small-penis sex satisfying.

6. The Top Reason (79.9%) Small-Penis Sex Falls Flat For Women: "I Couldn't Feel Their Penis Inside Me"

We dug further into exactly why so many women rated their most recent small-penis experience poorly.

The results were unambiguous. The two most commonly cited reasons among women for unsatisfying sex with a smaller partner were:

• 79.9% couldn't feel their partner inside them.
• 48.7% said their partner kept slipping out.

Both of these tie directly back to size itself.

There were other contributing factors too, cited by women describing their unsatisfying experience:

• 47.6% said their partner lacked meaningful sexual skill.
• 37.6% said there was little or no foreplay involved.
• 30.5% said their partner finished too fast.
• 29.5% said their partner was sexually selfish.
• 15.6% said their partner struggled with erections.

Another 6.1% of women selected "Other" to explain their unsatisfying experience with a less-endowed partner. Those open-ended responses included:

• The contraception we had didn't fit him, so in order to continue I had to agree to take after morning pill in the morning and not use contraception. There is more to the myth about most women preferring bigger penis. There are lots of things to consider not just being picky. The same can be said about too big penises as well.
• The guy was an abusive a$$hole.
• His lack of empathy.
• He slapped me in the face unexpectedly.
• Condom kept falling off inside me because it didn't fit him.
• Had to hold the condom in place, which was awkward.
• Just an overall douche.
• Bad hygiene.
• Missionary only.
• Didn't have sex often enough.
• He cried afterwards every time because he felt inadequate.
• He was an idiot, didn't know much of the female anatomy.
• Talking way too much during sex to distract me from his size.
• He wasn't willing to try different positions.

So while the two leading reasons behind unsatisfying small-penis sex trace directly back to size, plenty of unrelated factors — like a lack of sexual skill — clearly play a role too.

7. Skill Beyond Size Is Essential To Satisfying A Partner When You're Smaller

Only around 1 in 5 women (20.5%) rated their most recent experience with a smaller partner as satisfying.

Most of the reasons women gave for a satisfying experience despite smaller size centered on skill:

• 73.9% credited their partner's focus on getting them to orgasm.
• 66.7% credited strong foreplay.
• 61.4% credited oral sex skills.
• 53.1% credited the positions used.

None of these depend on a larger penis.

A separate set of reasons had more to do with how the woman felt about her partner emotionally:

• 59.9% cited attraction to their partner.
• 43% cited their partner's confidence.

Notably, 2.4% of women said they actually prefer a smaller partner for sex. That's roughly 1 in 41 women with an actual preference for smaller size.

Another 9.2% picked "Other" to describe why their small-penis experience was satisfying. These open-ended answers included:

• It was easier to try new positions and for me to be in control of how I moved. Also, he focused on clitoral stimulation and not just penetration.
• He played w my ass.
• So many other things he did were pleasurable that penetration was down the list so to speak.
• He also used his hands and mouth to please me so i still enjoyed being with him.
• He was tender, sensual, took his time, moved slowly and made sure I came orally before penetration. I felt like he cared about my satisfaction and that I was enjoying it which was great.
• He eats my pussy better than any man ever has and he's adventurous with various sex toys and doggy style and him coming in from the side with one of my legs raised up are AMAZING. He gives me multiple orgasms every time we have sex.
• He got me off with foreplay before we had intercourse.
• It's the BEST sex I've ever had in my life.
• He knew how to compensate for his size.
• By knowing how to eat pussy really good before putting my legs up on his shoulders and ramming his punishment in me.
• It wasn't his penis, it was what he did with his hands, mouth and the combination of his hands and penis.
• I loved him.
• I just find him very hot and sexy!
• The man had moved like Jagger.

Conclusion

Our survey found that a 5-inch penis reads as too small to 38.5% of women.

But going too big isn't the answer either — 50.8% of women rated a 9-inch penis as too large to be sexually satisfying.

The size range most likely to satisfy the largest share of women — what we call the Goldilocks penis size range — lands between 6 and 8 inches (15.24–20.32 cm) in length.

Girth matters just as much, with 89.1% of women rating it at least as important as length.

We dug even deeper into how much penis size really factors into women's decisions in our companion study, Does Size Matter, covering:

• Female sexual satisfaction
• Serious relationships
• Casual relationships
• Ending a relationship
• Cheating on a partner

Methodology

We opened the survey by collecting basic demographic details. Anyone who'd never experienced penile-vaginal sex, along with any non-female respondents, was excluded. Every remaining respondent was over 18, with an average age of 42. That left us with 1,387 total respondents:

• 1,125 women identifying as heterosexual
• 184 women identifying as bisexual
• 13 women identifying as homosexual
• 33 women identifying with a sexuality outside heterosexual/homosexual/bisexual
• 32 women who preferred not to disclose their sexuality

These respondents then answered a range of questions gauging their personal views, experiences, and preferences regarding erect penis size in the context of penile-vaginal sex.

This study relies on the self-reported memories and preferences of its participants. While we encouraged honesty and accuracy, the data remains self-reported, so some margin of inaccuracy is possible.

April 8, 2022