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A good and healthy sex life is important for one's overall well being. According to new data from the first ever Spanish National Sexual Health Survey, which was conducted in 2009, researchers concluded that socioeconomic factors are tied to sexual satisfaction. The researchers found specifically for women that higher economic status leads to greater sex.

"People of a lower socioeconomic status claim to be less satisfied sexually, which especially applies to women, who seem to be more influenced by these factors," explained Dolores Ruiz, the main author of the study according to Medical Xpress.

For this study, the researchers from the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) reviewed the compiled data. The survey interviewed 9,850 people. The researchers reported that roughly 90 percent of men and women stated that they were satisfied with their overall sex life. When the researchers asked about their sex lives within the past year, 95 percent reported being sexually satisfied.

The team also found that people were more likely to report sexual satisfaction if they were in a stable relationship as opposed to a casual one. 97 percent of men and 96 percent women who were in a stable relationship reported being happy with their sex life. For people in casual relationships, the rates fell to 88 percent for men and 80 percent for women.

Aside from sexual satisfaction, the researchers also looked at safe sex practices. The researchers reported that 77 percent of women and 73 percent of men used contraception frequently with their stable partner within the previous year. Safe sex practices increased to 92 percent for women and 86 percent for men in casual relationships. The researchers also found that people of lower socioeconomic statuses were less likely to use contraception.

When the researchers examined sexual abuse, they found that over four percent of men and 6.5 percent of women stated that they were forced to have some kind of sexual relations with another person during their lifetime. Around 1.6 percent of men and 6.1 percent of women stated that they were sexually abused or raped at some point in their life.

"Once again, it's particularly women of a lower socioeconomic status who suffer more experiences of sexual abuse. It's important to bear in mind that these women also might have more problems when it comes to contacting the various organizations that can provide help for them," the researcher stated.

Ruiz added, "People that have a more disadvantaged socioeconomic status tend to have less satisfying and less safe sexual relations, as well as suffering more experiences of sexual abuse. Furthermore, women usually suffer more experiences of sexual abuse than men and they claim to have less sexual gratification during their first sexual intercourse."

The study, "Sexual health and socioeconomic-related factors in Spain," was published in the Annals of Epidemiology.