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ABSTRACT:
120 sex specific surveys were distributed among the Miami student body to gauge perceptions of penis size among males and females. The eighty-two surveys returned indicate that females are more realistic in their estimations of the human penis, while males exaggerate their penis size by approximately one inch. An argument for this phenomena's origin in natural selection is made, as well as it's inflation within Western/American society as an effect of patriarchy.
INTRODUCTION:
Our culture is very overtly sexual as a consequence of the sexual revolution that took place during the 1960s and 1970s. Television shows such as MTV's "The Grind," "Dismissed," and others, as well as the massive proliferation of pornography that accompanied the success and popularity of the internet are examples of the media's part in contributing to a culture that values overt sexuality. The development and popularity of Viagra illustrates the importance of male genital performance during sexual intercourse in pharmaceuticals, an area that is generally considered purely scientific in a serious, matter of fact, medical way.
With all of this going on around us it is important to understand the role of the penis in our culture and to understand it's physical dimensions and how they are valued in Western/American society. This paper seeks to address these important issues by demonstrating the perceived size of penises and comparing these perceptions to factual, objective data on the average length of the penis. I believe that these perceptions influence mate selection and that furthermore it is the woman who dictates whom is selected for intercourse.
A considerable quantity of writing has been done on the penis and its role during intercourse as well as its role in the formation of sexual identity. Much of this analysis comes from sex columnists writing for newspapers around the world. This globosity illustrates just how popular this subject is not only in our society, but in the societies of other nations.
Articles written in the world's newspapers generally pertain to combat with perceived inadequacies such as small penises and low sexual performance. Suzi and Mel, sex columnists writing for "The Independent" in London, wrote this passage, "Given that most heterosexual men have never seen a Ôtypical' erect penis in the flesh, it's little wonder that the average Joe suffers from feelings of inadequacy."1 This is typical of mos of the writing on the topic of penile dimensions and their impact on society's members. They style is informal and straightforward, concentrating not so much on statistical facts to assuage the fears of men, but focusing more on cultural aspects that are easily understood and related to.
Much scientific writing has been done in a direction opposite to the cultural texts of the popular columnists. The predominate inquiry of science has had little to do with the sociological implications of penis size, but rather with the dimensions of the penis itself. Much research has been conducted to calculate the average penis size of various populations in nations from the USA all the way to India2. Once again, the global nature of the intensity of interest in the penis is exhibited.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
During the course of my research I gathered data via surveys concerning the perception of penis size among college-aged adults. Data on penis perceptions was split into two areas, size and value. Questions asked about physical dimensions requested that females estimate the largest penis they had ever seen in person and what the average penis size is in their experience. The survey for men requested an estimate of personal penis length and an estimation of average penis length.
As for value assessments of the penis my first set of surveys did not allow for any such extrapolation. However, my second set did provide for this necessary detail. Questions for women were forthright, with questions such as, "Have you ever seen a penis in person," "How do you determine a good penis," "Does size matter," and, "How do you judge a man with an inferior penis?" Questions for men were equally frank, such as, "Are you content with the size and length of your penis," "Is having a large penis important to you," and, "How do you believe women will judge you as a whole in terms of your penis size?" Answers were uniform, as anticipated.
Fifty surveys were distributed on the Western campus and seventy were distributed at Erickson dining hall. A total of eighty-two surveys were returned. A higher rate of return occurred in the dining hall due to my immediate presence to enforce their completion and return. The first fifty were delivered door to door in the Western dorms with the request that they be returned within a week. Only 20 responded within Western, compared to 32 at Erickson.
Aside from the means of distribution, the surveys themselves were satisfactory. All questions were stated clearly and concisely. The instructions were written in such a way that no pressure was applied to the subject, and that it was understood that completion was not necessary if the subject felt uncomfortable in the process of filling in the necessary information.
The surveys were not without problems, however. One negative issue I confronted had to do with delivery of the completed surveys. At Erickson dining hall I was able to monitor un-invasively to ensure that the subjects did in fact complete and turn in their surveys. This was not the case in the dorms of Western. Despite the fact that anonymity was guaranteed by an unmonitored drop box outside my room, very few people who received a survey at their door returned one to mine. This may have had something to do with the seemingly in-traversable distance that must be breached in the transport of a survey from Mary Lyon or McKee to Peabody Hall where I live.
Another problem the surveys dealt me was in the wording of the question regarding penile circumference. In an attempt to maintain professionalism and accuracy I used the word circumference rather than the phrase "big around" in asking questions about penile girth. Many misunderstood my word choice and described answers that could only have been diameters. Of the misinterpretations the measurement of one inch was common. If a penis was one inch in diameter it would be of a normal size, if it were one inch in circumference it would be approximately as big around as a common pencil. Rather than discard these data as erroneous or absurd I interpreted them as diameters and created a new category for them in my results. This error occurred in both women and men.
A third issue that was problematic was that the survey did not explicitly direct the subjects to record estimations for erect penises. Although only one respondent recorded flaccid dimensions in the first wave, this problem was rectified in the second wave of surveys.
Subjective data was compiled using these categories:
Women: A. perceived average length
B. greatest length seen in person
C. perceived average circumference
D. greatest circumference seen in person
E. do men exaggerate their penises
F. estimated male exaggeration
Men: perceived personal length
perceived personal circumference
estimated average penile dimensions
RESULTS:
The following are the data yielded by the survey responses:
FIGURE 1:

FIGURE 2:
FIGURE 3:

FIGURE 4:

The disparity between female and male perceptions of the penis and its dimensions is apparent. The difference between the female perception of the average penis and the male's perception of the average penis is .6 inches in length. The difference between personal penis size estimation and perceived average in males is .8 inches, nearly an entire inch. Although this is only about half of the estimated size exaggeration supposed by females, they were right in assuming that males will perceive themselves as larger than the rest of the population, or at least above average.
It is interesting to note that little differences exist in the numbers concerning circumference and diameter. Differences exist in mere tenths of inches, too insignificant to indicate fundamentally different approach to estimated penis size. This illustrates that men and women do not differ in their ability to accurately judge the size of a penis, but rather that males will be more generous in their estimations of personal length. It may be concluded that men are more concerned with the length of their penises and therefore overestimate.
The subjective research would be of little usefulness if it were not compared to objective factual data on the size of the human penis. To this end I compiled data from four different studies ranging from the old Kinsey data to more recent studies executed by the Lifestyles condom company. The mean penis size gathered from these studies is 5.97 inches.
FIGURE 5:

FIGURE 6:

ANALYSIS:
From the comparison it is clear to whom length matters. It is men who strive to achieve a superior length. I believe this is due to a male drive endowed by natural selection to appear more appealing to females. This assumes that females are in control of mate selection since it is the males that offer themselves as objects to the female subject.
Because it is the males who must perform for the females to gain reproductive rights, males must possess a symbolic measure of their fitness, a phallus that represents their reproductive superiority.
The penis is said phallus, and I believe the results of my research illustrate the inherent penile mis-estimation in every male. It has been ingrained in males through eons of natural selection to think that a bigger penis implies greater fertility [and more overtly, greater pleasure].
It is also important to note that although a larger penis is understood to define greater strength, dominance, and power as well as virility, it is a concession to female mate selection. A large ornamental penis serves little purpose other than to beg females for copulation. Ironically, that which implies masculine dominance and power is actually a monument to subservience and objectification at the feet of females.
This reality is generally ignored as men continue to use penile dimensions as a gauge of power and thus of masculinity. Rather than focus on what really matters in terms of pleasure for the female (circumference), the natural inclination of males towards length has provided our patriarchal society a useful tool in the formation of male sexual identity that is completely irrelevant to any useful end.
In our society the female prerogative of mate selection, based in part on penile dimensions, has been overturned in favor of the competition this female mate selection incites between males. If there was a primordial time when women judged the fittest of an assembly of males by length of penis, this female control has been repressed in favor of men competing for status between each other and collectively granting mate selection to the male with the longest penis. This patriarchal structure is a direct product of the inherent male emphasis on penis length above all other factors.
This patriarchal idea of the penis as phallus is exemplified in the value responses in the second wave of surveys. Common types of answers include:
FEMALE:
"Guys just don't understand that it's not the size of their dicks that matter. You've got to make sure a girl is in the mood first."
"I've been with a guy who was bigger than both of my hands. It was very arousing to look at, but once it was in me, it was really uncomfortable."
"I love big penises. I don't like them too big though, or else they hurt a lot. And that's no fun."
MALE:
"Girls won't like you if your [sic] not packing the right heat."
"There's a reason porn stars have giant penises, girls want it that way. It turns them on and makes them feel good."
"You're not really a man unless your cock measures up. If you've got a small cock then what's the point?"
Again, it is clear that women are attracted to larger penises, but their priorities are elsewhere, i.e. foreplay and related activities. Men, however, remain confined to the penile ideals natural selection and Western patriarchy have foisted upon them.
Conclusion:
My research shows that women perceive penises more accurately than do men. The value females place on the penis is significantly lower than that of men, who place a great deal of emphasis on the length of the penis rather than the circumference. This can be construed as an effect of natural selection, as a means of attracting females to mate with.
Were I to do this research again I would word the survey more explicitly and expand the sample beyond the confines of the Miami University student body.
Although much research has been done on the exact size of the human penis little has been done to gauge the meanings and origins of this trait. Pop-psychology has tackled the problem somewhat, but it has always been in such a way as to assuage men from thoughts of sexual inferiority. I believe my research is significant and original, calling for more time and effort in more expansive projects than the one undertaken here.
NOTES:
1. "The IOS Sex Column, With Suzi And Mel" Independent on Sunday (London); Section: Features, Pg. 6; July 8, 2001, Sunday; 2001, Newspaper Publishing PLC
2. Bedi, Rahul; "Every inch of Indian manhood to stand up and be measured;" The Irish Times; Section: City Edition; World News, Pg. 13; October 1, 2001; 2001, The Irish Times
CITATION:
"Penis survey;" Sunday Times (London); Section: Features; April 8, 2001, Sunday; 2001, Times Newspapers Limited
Lifestyles Condoms, Inc., http://www.lifestyles.com/edu/myths.shtml, 2002, Ansell Healthcare Inc.
"Dr. Nick's Practice," http://www.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/~amiklaut/dr_nick/answer19.htm
"InfoSexNet E-mail Bulletin," http://www.ppfc.ca/issues/Sept2001.htm#2, 2002, The Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada
For Further Info on this Topic, Check out this WWW Site: dork.com/sock/ltrzine.htm .
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