Woman on top is any

sex position A sex position is a position of the body that people use for sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts. Though sexual intercourse ge ...

in which the woman is on top of her

sexual partner Sexual partners are people who engage in sexual activity together. The sexual partners may be in a committed relationship, either on an exclusive basis or not, or engage in the sexual activity on a casual basis. They may be on intimate terms ...

during

sexual activity Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) ...

. The position most commonly associated with the woman on top is often called the cowgirl or riding position, which derives its name from the image of the woman "riding" the man as a

cowgirl A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

rides a bucking horse. In that position, a man typically lies on his back with his legs closed, while the female partner straddles him, usually in a

kneeling Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. Kneeling is defined as “to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor,” according to Merriam-Webster. Kneeling when only composed of one knee, and ...

position facing either forward or back, and either the man or woman inserts the man's erect

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do n ...

into the woman's

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

."Discovery Health Sexual Positions"
''healthguide.howstuffworks.com''. Retrieved 2010-10-22. The cowgirl position is commonly cited as one of the more popular sex positions, especially by women, because it gives them control over the rhythm and pace of vaginal stimulation and the extent and duration of penetration and because of its ability to adequately stimulate the

clitoris The clitoris ( or ) is a female sex organ present in mammals, ostriches and a limited number of other animals. In humans, the visible portion – the glans – is at the front junction of the labia minora (inner lips), above the ope ...

. There are other positions in which the woman may be on top, including the 69 position and the

pompoir Pompoir is a sexual technique in which the woman uses her vaginal muscles to stimulate the man's penis.Suzie Heumann, Susan M. Campbell, ''The Everything Great Sex Book: From Sensuous to Sizzling, the Hottest Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for S ...

sex position. In any of the woman on top positions, the woman is usually the active partner during sexual activity, and in addition to satisfying herself can stimulate or massage the man's

scrotum The scrotum or scrotal sac is an anatomical male reproductive structure located at the base of the penis that consists of a suspended dual-chambered sac of skin and smooth muscle. It is present in most terrestrial male mammals. The scrotum cont ...

, especially if his legs are spread. The woman may take the position in the course of sexual activity, especially if the man has attained

orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region charac ...

while she has not; and in this position she or her partner may perform fingering for her to achieve orgasm.

Variations

Initially, the man typically lies on his back with his legs together, while the female partner straddles him in a

position. With the woman's legs open, either the man or woman would

insert Insert may refer to: *Insert (advertising) *Insert (composites) *Insert (effects processing) *Insert (filmmaking) *Insert key on a computer keyboard, used to switch between insert mode and overtype mode *Insert (molecular biology) *Insert (SQL) *Fi ...

the man's erect

into the woman's

. Once the woman has attained sufficient

vaginal lubrication Vaginal lubrication is a naturally produced fluid that lubricates a vagina. Vaginal lubrication is always present, but production increases significantly near ovulation and during sexual arousal in anticipation of sexual intercourse. Vaginal ...

, she feels comfortable in thrusting up and down the penis and is in a position to vary her position for variety and enhanced pleasure. She can, for example, tilt her body forward toward a full lying position or backwards, or rock sideways. The woman has control over the rhythm and speed of her thrusting. She can also spread the man's legs and position herself between them. In this position, she can tighten her legs at will, to increase the pressure on the man's penis and on her crotch, and the man can also tighten his legs to increase the pressure. In this position, the man's legs are free to raise, as high as the Amazon position, with his legs rolled up towards her chest, but this also should be done with care. These changes can alter the depth and angle of penetration. The woman can sit backwards on the man and alter her position similarly. The woman may also be on top in a precursor to the

lateral coital position The lateral coital position is a sex position described by Masters and Johnson in their book, ''Human Sexual Inadequacy''. The position was preferred by 75% of their heterosexual respondents once they had tried it. Technique Moving into this pos ...

. In this position, the woman will usually prefer to kneel, as a squat will usually place a significantly greater stress on her legs.Reverse Asian Cowgirl Sex Position
Sexinfo101.com

Cowgirl position

In the cowgirl position, the man lies on his back or sits, with the woman straddling him across his pelvis facing forward, either in a

squatting position Squatting is a versatile posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees and hips are bent. In contrast, sitting involves taking the weight of the body, at least in part, on the buttocks against the ground or a horizontal object. ...

. The woman will align her vagina with the man's erect penis, and lower herself onto the penis with either the man or the woman guiding the penis into the woman's vagina for penetration. With the erect penis inside the woman, the woman can glide up and down the man's penis,"Sex Positions For Better Sex"
Retrieved 2010-10-22. controlling the rhythm and pace of vaginal stimulation and the extent and duration of penetration. The woman is free to change her position; possibilities range from leaning back to stretching out on her partner's chest to rocking from side to side or in a circular motion. Each of those changes would alter the angle and depth of penetration and which part of the vaginal area and sex organs are stimulated. The man's hands are free to reach and touch the woman's breasts, clitoris, buttocks, face etc., and the partners can maintain eye contact. With the woman in the sitting or leaning back positions, the man may also stimulate her nipples and

with his fingers, or suck on her nipples if she inclines towards him or he raises his torso towards her. In this position, a woman can continue with the up and down motion after the man has achieved orgasm until she reaches orgasm. Afterwards, she may collapse onto the man's chest, with her vagina being very sensitive to further stimulation. On the other hand, if the woman reaches orgasm before the man, the woman may raise her pelvis to enable the man to actively thrust upwards or the couple may change to a position which enables the man to continue thrusting, such as the

missionary position The missionary position or man-on-top position is a sex position in which, generally, a woman lies on her back and a man lies on top of her while they face each other and engage in vaginal intercourse. The position may also be used for other se ...

Reverse missionary position

PeterJohannNepomukGeigerEroticWatercolor06

When the woman lies on her partner's chest, this is also called the reverse missionary position. Stretching out with her legs on the man puts more pressure on the woman's

mons pubis In human anatomy, and in mammals in general, the ''mons pubis'' or pubic mound (also known simply as the mons, and known specifically in females as the ''mons Venus'' or ''mons veneris'') is a rounded mass of fatty tissue found over the pubic symp ...

and clitoris. If the man separates his legs, the woman can put her legs between his. In this position, she can increase the tightness on the man's penis by pressing her thighs together, or the man may press the woman's thighs together. This increases vaginal friction, but she can still control the pace and rhythm of her thrusts. As most women approach orgasm, they experience acute

vaginal contraction Vaginal contractions are contractions of the pelvic muscles surrounding the vagina, especially the pubococcygeus muscle. Vaginal contractions are generally an involuntary muscular response to orgasm. Though usually an involuntary response, some wo ...

s, which also increases the man's sexual stimulation by increasing tightness on his penis.

Reverse cowgirl position

In the reverse cowgirl position, the woman straddles the man facing the man's feet in a

. After either she or the man has guided the penis into the woman's vagina, the woman can keep her torso upright, or she can lean forward or back to lie on the man's chest or move sideways at will. The man's legs can be flat on the bed or arched. The woman also has control over the pace, rhythm, depth, and duration of penetration. By changing her position and thrusts, the woman can change the level of stimulation for the man, while simultaneously stimulating her clitoris or an area termed "the

G-spot The G-spot, also called the Gräfenberg spot (for German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg), is characterized as an erogenous area of the vagina that, when stimulated, may lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and potential female ejac ...

Advantage

An advantage of the woman-on-top positions is that the man's weight is not on the woman. These positions are ideal during pregnancy as there is no pressure on the woman's abdomen, and it is easy for her to control the depth and speed of penetration. They are also useful if the man is recovering from a serious illness or surgery or if the woman has recently given birth.

Gallery

Sex with the woman on top has been known in most cultures in all times, and has been depicted in art: Kama sutra 24 detail.jpg, Woman-on-top position in the ''

Kama Sutra The ''Kama Sutra'' (; sa, कामसूत्र, , ; ) is an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment in life. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the ''Kama Sutra'' is neither exclusively nor predominantly ...

'' Image:Pompeii-wall painting.jpg, The "riding" position ''( Mulier equitans)'' was popular in

ancient Roman erotic art The history of erotic depictions includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, dramatic arts, music and writings that show scenes of a sexual nature throughout time. They have been created by nearly every civilization, ancient and modern. Early ...

(

wall painting A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

from

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

, 62–79 BC) Pompeii - Casa del Centenario - Cubiculum - Love scene from north wall.jpg, A female is sitting on a male's lap, lowering herself on his penis. Wall painting from Pompeii, 1st Century Image:Édouard-Henri Avril (14).jpg,

Édouard-Henri Avril Édouard-Henri Avril (21 May 1849 – 28 July 1928) was a French painter and commercial artist. Under the pseudonym Paul Avril, he was an illustrator of erotic literature. His career saw collaboration with influential people like Octave Uzanne ...

's image of a woman-on-top position File:Édouard-Henri Avril (15).jpg, Édouard-Henri Avril's image of reverse cowgirl position

Sitting on lap

Among adults, a female sitting on the lap of another person usually indicates an

intimate Intimate may refer to: * Intimate examination, a physical examination for medical purposes that includes examination of the breasts, genitalia, or rectum of a patient * Intimate ion pair, the interactions between a cation, anion and surrounding sol ...

romantic relationship Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Encycl ...

between the two, or may be regarded as

flirtatious Flirting or coquetry is a Social behavior, social and Human sexual activity, sexual behavior involving spoken or written communication, as well as body language. It is either to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with the other person o ...

. In public, such behaviour may be regarded as a

public display of affection Public displays of affection (PDA) are acts of physical intimacy in the view of others. What is an acceptable display of affection varies with respect to culture and context. Some organizations have rules limiting or prohibiting public displa ...

. In private, sitting on a man's lap or being pulled by the man onto his lap, especially if she straddles his legs or waist, when accompanied with a smile, kiss or other flirtatious gesture, may be regarded as showing either's interest in sexual activity or as

foreplay Foreplay is a set of emotionally and physically intimate acts between one or more people meant to create sexual arousal and desire for sexual activity. Although foreplay is typically understood as physical sexual activity, nonphysical activiti ...

. It is rare for a man to sit on a woman's lap, though not for him to lay his head there. The erotic significance in sitting on a lap is a factor in the erotic activity in

strip clubs Strip or Stripping may refer to: Places * Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya * Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...

such as a lap dance, where one person (usually a woman) straddles the lap of the other and gyrates their lower extremities in a provocative manner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woman On Top (Sex Position) Sex positions Kneeling Squatting position ca:Postures del coit#La dona dominant