Young adult women feel they are expected to give oral sex

The survey by Family Planning NSW revealed that half the women aged 16 to 25 said they had sometimes been pressured to give oral sex, and many reported that young men expect to receive it

"Most people I know that have oral sex only do it because everyone else does, and if you don't, you're frigid," the Age quoted a 16-year-old girl as telling the researchers.

Despite this, the survey of 250 young women's attitudes towards oral sex, found that young women were overwhelmingly positive about oral sex - 82 percent said they found it "enjoyable and rewarding".

The most common reason for having oral sex, according to the survey was: "It feels good."

While some of the young women said the practice promoted intimacy, a quarter of those surveyed saw oral sex as a less intimate alternative to penetrative sex, for which they said "they weren't ready".

A further 14 percent considered oral sex safer than other forms of sex, because there was no risk of pregnancy and less risk of picking up a sexually transmitted disease.

The study has been published in the latest Youth Studies Australia journal.