SD 4.1
SEXUALLY EXPERIENCED TEENS
Sexual experience, and particularly age at first intercourse, represent critical indicators of the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Youth who begin having sex at younger ages are exposed to these risks over a longer period of time. Because sexual intercourse during the teen years, especially first intercourse, is often unplanned,36 it is also often unprotected by contraception.37 In addition, research has shown that youth who have early sexual experience are more likely at later ages to have more sexual partners and more frequent intercourse.38
Trends over the past several decades show that increasing proportions of teens are sexually experienced — defined as ever having had sexual intercourse (see Table SD 4.1.A).
Trends Among Sexually Experienced Female Teens. Among female adolescents of all ages, the percentage who were sexually experienced has increased over time (see Table SD 4.1.A). For example, the percentage of 18-year-old females who were sexually experienced increased from 27 percent for the 1958-1960 cohort, to 35 percent for the 1970-1972 cohort, and to 52 percent for the 1985-1987 cohort. Cohorts are defined as those females who turned 20 in the specific time period presented.
Trends Among Sexually Experienced Male Teens. The percentage of male teens who were sexually experienced has also increased for male adolescents over age 14. For example, the percentage of 18-year-old males who were sexually experienced increased from 55 percent for the 1970-1972 cohort to 64 percent for the 1985-1987 cohort (see Table SD 4.1.A).
Differences by Age. Age is the most important correlate of teen sexual experience. By age 13, just under 1 in 10 males and only 1 in 50 females were sexually experienced, but by age 20, about 3 in 4 females and 4 in 5 males were sexually experienced (see Figure SD 4.1). By the late teen years, most teens are sexually experienced; however it is important to note that not all teens are sexually experienced. Among the 1985-1987 cohort of youth, nearly half of adolescent females and more than one-third of adolescent males had not had intercourse by age 18 (see Table SD 4.1.A). The pattern of more teenagers having had sex as age increases is reflected in the data for 1995 as well. Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a survey of students rather than all adolescents, show that, in the 9th grade, 37 percent of students report having had sexual intercourse. This percentage rises with each grade and reaches 66 percent by the 12th grade39 (see Table SD 4.1.B).
Differences by Gender. Until very recently, more teen males than females reported having had intercourse by a given age. Data from the 1985-1987 cohort suggest that the proportion of teen males at each year of age who report having sex was roughly equal to the number of sexually experienced teen females who are one year older (see Table SD 4.1.A). Caution should be exercised in interpreting these differences, however, since the data for males and females come from different surveys. Data for students from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicate that in 1995, gender differences were minimal or nonexistent, except for ninth grade (see Table SD 4.1.B).
Differences by Race.40 Black students
are more likely than white and Hispanic students to have had their first
sexual experience while still in high school (see Table SD 4.1.B). Specifically,
in 1995:
Figure SD 4.1
|
Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1994). Sex and America’s
Teenagers, New York, NY: Alan Guttmacher Institute. Based on data from the
1988 National Survey of Family Growth and the 1991 Survey of Men. Caution
should be used in making direct comparisons of data from different
surveys.
Table SD 4.1.A
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| Note: aCohorts are
defined as those individuals who turned twenty-years-old within the specified
time period. bData are based on females aged 30-32 and 42-44 in the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and aged 21-23 and 36-38 in the 1988 NSFG and males aged 21-23 and 36-38 in the 1991 Survey of Men. Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994. Sex and America’s Teenagers, New York, NY. Alan Guttmacher Institute. |
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| Table
SD 4.1.B Sexually Experienced Teens: Percentage of High School Students, Grades 9-12, Who Reported Ever Having Sexual Intercourse, by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Grade, 1995 |
|||||
| Total | |||||
| Grade | |||||
| 9th | |||||
| 10th | |||||
| 11th | |||||
| 12th | |||||
| Race/Ethnic Group | |||||
| White, Non-Hispanic | |||||
| Black, Non-Hispanic | |||||
| Hispanic | |||||
| Source: Kann, L., Warren, C.W., Harris, W.A., Collins, J.L., Williams, B.I., Ross, J.G., Kolbe, L.J. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 1995. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 45, No. SS-4, 1996. | |||||
37 Forrest, J. D., and Singh, S. 1990. "The sexual and reproductive behavior of American women, 1982-1988." Family Planning Perspectives 22 (5): 206-214.
38 Koyle, P., Jensen, L., Olsen, J., and Cundick, B. 1989. "Comparison of sexual behaviors among adolescents having an early, middle, and late first intercourse experience." Youth and Society 20(4): 461-475.
39 Direct comparison with other years is not possible as grade in school does not accurately reflect age and data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey only includes teens in school.
40 Estimates for whites
and blacks exclude Hispanics of those races.