Sexual Experience of Young Unmarried Women in the United States

Abstract

Nearly 2.4 million never-married women in the United States aged 15-19 (28 percent of all such young women) were estimated in 1971 to have had coital experience. This estimate is based on a survey of 3132 white and 1479 black respondents. The investigation indicates that the likelihood that a young never-married woman will experience coitus rises from 14 percent at age 15 to 46 percent by age 19. Roughly 54 percent of black women aged 15-19 have had intercourse as opposed to 23 percent white women. High proportions of sexual experience are associated with residence in the central city; households without fathers; low degree of family confidence sharing. College women living in dormitories had about the same experience levels as women living at home in households headed by a father. Nominal church affliation does not affect proportions but faithful church attendence is associated with lower proportions of coital experience.