Orthodox women have sex more often than other Jews but experience less physical and emotional pleasure, a survey published on Sunday has revealed.

Results of the study, which surveyed the sexual habits of 382 Orthodox women in both Israel and the United States, showed that religious women had sex more frequently than their non-religious counterparts, despite abstaining for 12 to 14 days a month on religious grounds.

However, while 93 per cent of non-religious women said they were sexually satisfied, the figure dropped to just 70 per cent among the Orthodox.

Similar figures were recorded for levels of emotional satisfaction.

The statistics were first released last week at the Annual Psychiatry Conference in the United States and published on Sunday in the Israeli daily Haaretz.

Jewish tradition actively encourages sexual activity between married couples with the aim of procreation.