What Penis Size Do Women Prefer?

We Got 16 Women to Confess What They Really Think About Your Size ... Down There

So, you want to know the answer to the age-old question: "Does size really matter?"

It's a topic that's been debated by scientists, therapists and divorce attorneys alike. There have been legitimate studies dedicated to getting to the bottom of this issue, all for the sake of men's egos everywhere. In a 2014 poll, a promising 84% of ladies reported they were more than satisfied with their man's member. What does that mean for the other 16%?

Well, that's hard to say, especially since "all men and women have a different perspective on how much [penis size] matters and what the proper size constitutes," says Jenni Skyler, a certified sex therapist, sexologist, and licensed marriage and family therapist for AdamEve.com.

When it comes to exact numbers, we're looking at 2.8 to 3.9 inches as the average flaccid length, with the average penis being 4.7 to 6.3 inches in length. As for average erect circumference, that's 4.7 inches.

But even with statistics, Skyler points out that "some men and their partners fit together well and some don’t."

"Some women find a smaller fit feels great but larger men are uncomfortable," she notes. "Others find that smaller men just don’t fill them up and they really enjoy the larger size. For the most part, men who are in the average range will do just fine. Men on the extreme ends of very large or very small will have to find a partner who fits well with their size."

When it comes to the how you measure up down below, being average ain't all that bad. In fact, Skyler says "men on the extreme ends of very large or very small will have to find a partner who fits well with their size."

RELATED: Why You Should Stop Worrying About Penis Size

To find out once and for all whether the meat matters more than the motion, we went straight to the source. AskMen spoke with 16 ladies for their honest take — straight up, no chaser. Here's what they had to say about their ideal penis proportion.

1. "I’ve been with just over a dozen men whose penises ranged from 5 inches to 14 inches and were of various girth. Size does matter when it comes to having an orgasm through intercourse, and length is less important than girth. My personal preference would be 9 to 10 inches and thick enough that I can’t quite close my hand around it. This size affords me the ability to have vaginal orgasms in multiple positions and isn’t so large that fellatio is a challenge."

— Joy, 27

2. "In my humble opinion, somewhere within the broad range of average size is best. It really is true that it's not what you've got — it's how you use it. Size is of no importance when compared with technique. If anything, I've found that the smaller-endowed guys are often — not always, but often — the better lovers. They attempt, often successfully, to compensate with technique, and as a result they are stellar lovers."

— Cynthia, 32

3. "Size does matter, but not in the way that people think it does when I say that! Nobody wants a 3 or 4 inch cock inside them. You just can't feel it. But for me, anything over 8 inches just hurts, and you can't f*ck me the way I want to be f*cked when I need it! The perfect size for me is 7 inches."

— Christina, 36

4. "The truth? Size matters. If you have more, you can do less and still satisfy a woman. In other words, it's the meat, not the motion."

— Vicki, 31

5. "I find that men are far more worried about size than I am. I do kegel exercises on a daily basis, so the size feels good to me no matter what. The important thing for my enjoyment is more what they do with their hands and mouth, rather than the penis being the only sexual effort!"

— Holly, 26

6. "I can't handle them if they're too big. I'm fragile and it definitely is way more painful than pleasurable if a guy is huge. At the same time, you don't want someone too small that you can barely feel or enjoy. A good average penis tends to do the trick for me."

— Aliza, 28

7. "My ex-boyfriend was small, like a thumb after being jammed in a car door. Maybe 3 and a half inches. Despite that, I was sexually satisfied. It worked and I never complained. It was awkward whenever 'small dick' jokes would come up or be heard, though. We would pretend not to hear them."

— Lauren, 29

RELATED: 5 Small Penis Sex Positions To Make Her Think You're Huge

8. "It matters. I dated a guy with a penis the size of my pinky, and sometimes I wasn't even sure if we were having sex. The whole big hands, big feet thing is a total lie. He doesn't need a foot-long, 4-inch-round penis, but there's got to be something substantial."

— Michelle, 30

9. "Size is nice and definitely a plus, but if they know how to use it and have other 'skills,' then sometimes it doesn't matter."

— Katrina, 24

10. "Unfortunately I think it might actually matter. It just feels better and hits the right spots. Sometimes it doesn't if the guy is really good at foreplay, etc. But otherwise... it does."

— Rachel, 26

11. "I need something adequate to work with. Even 5 inches is fine. You don't need to have a porn star shlong, but if I can't tell whether or not you're in me, I mean, that's a problem."

— Claire, 29

12. "I want big, but there's also such a thing as too big. One time, a short dude I was hooking up with stopped me in the middle of things to warn me that he had a really big dick, and to speak up if he was hurting me. I laughed because I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. Of course, then I had to suck it up and take it. It made me rethink the benefits of the good ole' average-size penis."

— Laura, 26

13. "It depends on the guy it's attached to. Honestly, you could have the biggest, nicest, health class textbook-looking penis. But if you're a dick about how awesome your penis is, I don't want to f*ck with it. That's the worst, the guys who are really big so they think that they can just treat women however they want to, since they can get laid whenever they want to."

— Sharie, 31

14. "I think that how you present it really matters more than what you're packing. My last boyfriend was on the smaller side and was also clearly self-conscious about it. The first few times we had sex we did it in the dark. He wouldn't let me go down on him or even touch his dick much at all. At first I thought this was great since I was getting all of the foreplay without having to give back. But after a while, the dick-hiding game just got old. It wasn't sexy. I lost interest. The guy I'm seeing now has a penis that's about the same size, but he acts like he's a super-confident, well-hung guy when we're doing it, so our sex is so much better."

— Kelly, 26

15. "I think that every woman has at least a little bit of anxiety when she's dating a guy that she's really into and she's about to see his dick for the first time. Because in reality, no, if I meet my soulmate I'm not going to dismiss him because he doesn't have a nice-sized dick. But I think any woman that you ask would also admit that she doesn't want to be stuck in a relationship with a guy whose dick is weird-looking or super tiny for the rest of her life. So the next time you're about to drop your pants and show your dick to a new lady, know that we're just as anxious as you are, boys."

— Erica, 27

16. "It used to matter to me until I met my husband. Out of all the men I've slept with, he has the smallest penis I've experienced. But he's also the best guy that I've ever met, and a wonderful father to our two children. Our sex life is different than it was with with my other partners. It's a lot more foreplay and a lot less emphasis on penetration. Life is about compromise, right?"

— Marlene, 36

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