Woman on top sex position

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This article is about sex position; for a movie by this title see Woman on Top.

Classical Greek bas-relief

An erotic Roman wall painting from Pompeii. (See also (1), (2) and (3).)

Variant allowing improved clitoral stimulation and greater male activity. Also much easier on the woman's knees.

The woman on top position, also called the reverse missionary, jackhammer, or cowgirl, is a type of sex position. In this position,

• the man lies on his back or sits down in a chair of some kind
• the woman sits on top of him facing him, with his body between her legs, and with her groin aligned over his to facilitate penetration.

The name derives from the image of the woman "riding" the man like a cowgirl rides a bucking horse. It is one of a number of female superior sexual positions, another being the reverse cowgirl.

[edit] Features

Penetration is quite deep, and the woman can control the depth and intensity of penetration. Clitoral pressure may not be very intense for some women, but can be provided by hand, or by the man periodically semi-withdrawing and manipulating his penis against the woman's clitoris, or by other means.

Proponents of the cowgirl position say there are these advantages:

• Both partners can see one another, and in particular the man can view and caress the woman's breasts while they are in a more natural position.
• Often the man can delay his orgasm longer in this position.
• The position is far less tiring for the man as he does not have to support his weight while also being physically active.
• The woman may take a relatively static position, so that she does not tire (by supporting her upper body with her extended arms with her torso almost horizontal), while the man, not having to support his weight can be quite active without fatigue. This variation eases the strain of motion upon the woman's knees, which may be an advantage for some women.
• The woman can control the depth, intensity and angle of penetration, and enjoy the dominant feeling of being in control.
• The man can enjoy receiving pleasure while relaxing.
• The woman can easily stimulate her clitoris with her hand (if in the upright version).
• The man can stimulate the woman's clitoris with his hand, though some find the thumb to be more comfortable.
• If sitting upright, the woman can reach behind her to stimulate the man's testicles.
• The man can caress the woman's buttocks and stimulate the anus.
• In a variant position in which the woman is on top and leaning over the man, the man and woman can embrace and kiss while the man is penetrating the woman. He can also caress her breasts in the position.
• Unlike in the missionary position, in this position the woman has the active role while the man has the passive role.
• It has received a reputation as sexual method of waking up a partner. This has often been referred to as a "Cowgirl Wake Up".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Dominance and submission

As well as being enjoyable for its own vanilla sexual pleasure, this position is a good position for play with sexual dominance: some women like to take control of the man by holding his arms down, and some men like to take control of the woman by taking hold of her arms behind her back. Those of a switchy disposition can move from one to the other and back again. Some consider this to be a position which is particularly suited to female dominance.

[edit] Disabilities

The reverse missionary position is one of a number of positions sometimes recommended for experimentation by partners where the male has some form of disability. Dr. Ruth Westheimer wrote to the wife of a stroke victim that:[1]

"Another area that you could explore would be a change of positions. The side by side position is sometimes helpful in these situations, as long as you make sure that the stroke victim is positioned so that the "healthy" side is uppermost. You could also try mutual masturbation, oral genital stimulation, the female superior position or the use of a vibrator."

[edit] Variants

Similar positions can be achieved between two men for anal sex, two women if the one on the bottom wears a strap-on dildo, or a man and a woman with the man on top if she penetrates him with a strap-on.