Family therapist Jill Whitney agrees. Women are reporting less inhibition and more confidence when it comes to initiating sex, and up to 72 percent of college-aged men say they prefer that. Studies across cultures consistently conclude that women have lower sex drives compared to men, and some show that long-term relationships can deplete this drive even further. Some of the most fundamental differences between male and female arousal may be biological. Research shows that men, motivated by higher levels of testosterone, tend to have more spontaneous sex drives while women tend to have responsive ones.