U.S. Statistics Disclosed : Only 1 Woman in 5 Delays Sex Activity ‘Til Marriage

Only about one American woman in five waits until marriage to begin sexual activity, a sharp decline from the almost 2 1/2 out of 5 reported in surveys during the early 1960s, according to government statistics disclosed today.

The decline was reported as part of the National Survey of Family Growth, a study of childbearing, contraceptive practices and maternal health conducted in 1982 by the National Center for Health Statistics.

The statistics do not include figures for men because the survey is designed to analyze fertility and childbearing, and thus seeks information only from women in the childbearing ages of 15 to 44, explained Marjorie C. Horn, who wrote the study with Christine A. Bachrach.

“The proportion of women who delayed sexual intercourse until marriage declined from 48% among women marrying during the period 1960-64, to 21% among women marrying in the years 1975-79,” the authors wrote.

Trends in premarital births in the United States reflect changing patterns of premarital sexual behavior, the study concluded.

“Over the past two decades, the proportion of births occurring to unmarried women has risen dramatically, from 5% in 1960 to 19% in 1982,” according to the analysis.

Horn said the study doesn’t ask reasons for the increased number of women who initiate sexual activity before to marriage, but she added that “it’s certainly been a trend over time.”

At the same time, this increase in premarital intercourse has been occurring, women have been postponing marriage in favor of increasing their education and advancing their careers in larger numbers than ever before, meaning that on average women remained single longer.

Horn, however, declined to speculate on specific reasons for the changes in sexual activity, saying only that “people will have to reach their own conclusions.”