So enough with the flower-based threats, already!
A new study, “Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954–2003,� says pre-marital sex is nearly universal among Americans.
The study, published in the January/February 2007 issue of Public Health Reports, reports that by age 44, 99% of respondents had had sex, and 95% had sex before marriage.
From The Guttmacher Institute:
...Further, contrary to the public perception that premarital sex is much more common now than in the past, the study shows that even among women who were born in the 1940s, nearly nine in 10 had sex before marriage.“This is reality-check research. Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades,� says study author Lawrence Finer, director of domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute. “The data clearly show that the majority of older teens and adults have already had sex before marriage, which calls into question the federal government’s funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs for 12–29-year-olds. It would be more effective to provide young people with the skills and information they need to be safe once they become sexually active—which nearly everyone eventually will.�
Yeah, but what fun would that be? Then you couldn't make folks feel all slutty and bad for doing what pretty much everyone else is also doing. And that would just be silly.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Almost all Americans have pre-marital sex.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/4489
Weekly Feministing Newsletter
Feministing RSS Feed
95% of people have pre-marital sex? 90% of women in the 50s era had pre-marital sex? And now they're trying to push 100% abstinence before marriage? Yeah, the Religious Right's in touch.
The study defines pre-marital sex as having had vaginal intercourse before first marrying or ever having intercourse and never having married.
the religious right clearly arent even in touch with their own damn people who are obviously having premarital sex. idiots
donna, whoa, I didn't know that... they're not counting oral sex?
They should... except that would probably push the number up to 98.5% or so. Including all those good Christian teens.
This reminds me of the behavior identified by Kristin Luker in - I think - Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood. The most outspoken and public anti-choicers (at least the ones with political reputations and money) are the first ones to help their little princesses get abortions. They're happy to force their morality upon the country and ignore real life for others. Once it gets personal, though, they make exceptions - but only for themselves. Less affluent women and women of color cannot be trusted with such matters, you know.
I feel very, very sick to my stomach right now. Not because I contribute to that wonder ful number of people who had premarital sex, but because there are people out there who actually think abstinence is the way. I congradulate anyone (like my mom) who can wait until marriage to have sex. I for one, want to know what my partner looks like in the nude, and how well he "performs." I know sex isn't everything, but it's still pretty important. How out of touch with reality do you have to be to consider this an attack on Abstinence, or anything for that matter. It's a simple fact. It's almost like the "war on Christmas" ordeal. it's like they forgot there were other religions out there (like mine). And their little double standard, "I can tell you that abortion is wrong, but by God in Heaven if my little girl gets pregnant, she's having an abortion." only makes me sicker. They need to get with the times.
I congradulate anyone (like my mom) who can wait until marriage to have sex. - mandevilla
I congratulate anyone (like my dad) who can wait until marriage to have sex (unless hand-jobs count, in which case my parents didn't wait ... so knowing what your partner looks like in the nude can happen with "abstinent" couples as well ... btw, Mom, Dad, if you're reading this, some of that line of conversation was a bit TMI).
OTOH, by the time my dad was the age I was when I lost my virginity, he already was married for six years and a father-to-be to boot. So I'm not sure if the comparison between me and my parents is exactly fair ... of course, yet on the other hand, I, er, wasn't voluntarily remaining a virgin ...
find me ANY girl in any of the high schools i went to who was still a virgin by the time she graduated... (to say nothing of the guys) and living right in the middle of this crap.
but at least the teachers weren't entirely clueless - curriculum got bent to say that you should use a condom, and that evolution does happen. at some level, people realize that those mandates are insane, even those who vote republican.
i still think it's absolutely hilarious that i positively knew none of the kids in the youth group were virgins, yet all were forced (by my mother) to watch a whole series of videos on abstinence. including the freshmen!