The New York Times today ran an Associated Press story reporting that teenage sex rates have hit a new low. This is good news. The teenage birth-rate has hit a record low as well.
In 2005, 47 percent of high school students — 6.7 million — reported having had sexual intercourse, down from 54 percent in 1991. The rate of those who reported having had sex had remained the same since 2003.Of those who reported having had sex during a three-month period in 2005, 63 percent — about 9 million — said they used condoms. That is an increase from the 46 percent reported in 1991.
The teenage birth rate in 2005, the report said, was 21 per 1,000 young women ages 15 to 17 — an all-time low. The rate in 1991 was 39 births per 1,000 teenagers.
However, there may be other factors that mask the fact that teenage sexual activity hasn't really changed at all.
(1) Teenage birth rates are lower because more and more teens have easy access to abortion and birth-control. There is no social stigma assigned to being a sexually active or pregnant teenager and baby-boomer parents have no scruples about encouraging abortion and birth-control for kids, unlike any other generation of parents in American history. This is a moral problem.
(2) Teens have redefined what constitutes as sex. While the rates of intercourse may have declined the study leaves unanswered questions about the rates of other forms of sexual activity including oral sex, pornography, etc. "Hooking up" can include all sorts of sexual activity that is not specifically intercourse. The myth, of course, is that only intercourse negatively affects teenagers psychological, emotionally, and spiritually.
The Washington Post reports that nearly half of all teens engage in oral sex.
I discuss it here more at Acton.
More thoughts?
I cringe and am horrified by the new "definition" of sex in our society. I am incredibly saddened to think about the emotional pain this leads to. People seem to think that you can separate these physical acts from emotions. The danger of this is unfathomable.
I would also like to see some statistics of teenage pregnancy broken down into specific demographics.
In the inner city here it seems as if teenage pregnancy is becoming an epidemic. It is a status symbol. It is almost expected and certainly seems to be the goal of many teenage girls.
I feel sick at my stomach as I watch groups of very young mothers walking down the street with their babies. I hear conversations in which high school girls are lamenting the fact that they are getting so old and still don't have a baby.
Maybe this is nothing new, maybe I've just been ignorantly unaware of the scope of this until now, but I feel like it is worse than ever.
Posted by: sara at July 13, 2007 11:20 AMAll you have to do is look at what is promoted by pop culture. Companies sell what consumers want to buy, and they want to buy sex. I don't mean this literally, but symbolically. Less clothing is more acceptable in advertising. TV shows highlight sexual escapades and glorify the "pursuit," yet say nothing of the responsibility upon capture. The list goes on.
And if fewer teens are having sex, I shudder to think about the statistics of pre-teens having sex (particularly under the new definition).
Posted by: Brad at July 13, 2007 04:52 PMOur demographics have changed, as well.
There are more latinos in our schools now, and I suggest that they have a lower sexually active rate.
That said, the statistical significance of these figures is too small to really take notice of. If the low figure 47% is low by 5% to 52% and the high figure 54% is high by 5% to 51% we may actually account a 1% increase in sexual activity. I think many students are just "saving it for... college."
Posted by: jurisnaturalist at July 14, 2007 02:38 PMSara's first four sentences are completely correct. At the same time we can not forget that some sort of emotional pain was probably first done unto them in order for these teens (big children) to look and thirst for love, acceptance, and fulfillment from such a dry, dirty, shame filled place.
Posted by: Brienne Lockridge at July 14, 2007 04:56 PM