Cindy Meston and David Buss, authors of Why Women Have Sex, highlight 200 specific reasons.
'Research has shown that most men find most women at least somewhat sexually attractive, whereas most women do not find most men sexually attractive at all,' conclude the authors, both psychology professors at the University of Texas.
Having apparently discounted physical attraction, the 1,000 women interviewed by Prof Meston gave a huge range of reasons for sleeping with a man.
But in most cases the explanations were far more mundane, with 84 per cent admitting to having sex just to ensure a quiet life or to bargain-for household chores.
I told my wife about that last bit and she chuckled knowingly.