Sexuality - Teens And Sex: What's Really Going On

Sexual activity was generally on the decline among high school students in the 1990s, according to data from the Center for Disease Control.

The percentage of high school students who have ever had sex has been declining since 1993. In that year, 50% of females had had intercourse, while slightly more than 42% had done so by 2001. More young men were delaying the start of their sexual lives as well. 55.6% of males had had sex, while 48% of them had had sex in 2001.

The percent of young men and women who remain sexually active peaked in the middle of the 1990s for both sexes and then began to decline.² Figures fell steadily across this period for all races, according to the CDC, although in the case of blacks it was quite dramatic. According to the study, 89% of females and 80% of males reported having had sex in 1993, although just 69% and 60% of males reported having had sex in 2001. So, what is going on here?

Explaining sexual behavior is a complex issue, of course. Young people get their messages about morality and sex from a variety of sources: parents, friends, the church, and the media. Fear of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease still are powerful motivators to refrain from intercourse. Some young people have intercourse and realize they have "gotten in over their heads" so to speak. A survey in Psychology Today found that of those high school boys and girls who have had sex, 55% of boys and 72% of girls regretted the decision. There has also been dialogue in recent years about remaining a virgin. Some young people have decided that sexual activity is something they will only share with their husband or wife. The "virgin message" also appears in popular entertainment. Pop music stars such as Brittany Spears and Jessica Simpson have been open about their decision to remain virgins until marriage.

Why has there been a sudden jump between 1999 and 2001 in sexually active teenagers? Why the dramatic rise in sexually active girls in the first years of the survey? Some studies have pointed out that sexual maturation has been happening at startlingly early rates for some pre-teen girls. Once a young girl hits puberty, the door opens to potential sexual experimentation much earlier.

Some have theorized that we are just more accepting of female sexuality, at least in the context of a relationship. The numbers do suggest that teenagers are more interested in relationships; the percent of teenagers with a history of four or more sexual partners fell from 18.8% in 1993 to 14.2% in 2001. A boy is now potentially more likely to have his first sexual experiences with a girlfriend as opposed to a "girl of ill repute" as he might have had before the sexual revolution. That's potentially good news for young people learning that sex is just one part of an intimate relationship. More alarming is anecdotal evidence of boys and girls engaging in other forms of sex — oral, for example — because this is seen as safe behavior and relatively harmless.

It's important to remember we are looking a fraction of our 15 to 17 year olds. Less than half have had sex. About a third remain sexually active. Most teenagers are waiting to have sex — whether they like it or not.

Source: "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Surveillance Summaries, June 28, 2002.MMWR 2002: 51 (No. ss-4); "Behind Closed Doors." Psychology Today, November 2000, p. 10; "Number of Teens, Primarily Boys, Having Sex in 90s as Adolescent Girls Lead Way in Redefining Relationships." Retrieved August 8, 2002 from http://www.washington.edu.