It is not a new concept: As women excel in the professional and educational arena, their chances of securing a committed relationship diminish. Women in their 40’s and 50’s are accustomed to this; however, recent research has discovered that teenagers just stepping into womanhood are experiencing the same.
In their book documenting premarital sex in America, researchers from the University of Texas, Jeremy Uecker and Mark Regnerus reported these findings.
They analyzed results from several studies such as the National Longitudinal Study of Adolesecent Health; additionally they conducted interviews with young adults between the ages of 18 to 23.
Findings concluded that women between the ages of 18 to 23 felt that they could have casual relationships with numerous partners without repercussion because they do not need men for financial independence. Most felt that their 20,s was not the time for a devoted relationship, but would like a committed relationship in future. The problem with this is that men are resistant to monogamy because they are aware that there are several women still willing to engage in sex without a commitment. As the saying goes “Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free.”
Regnerus states that, “Despite the fact that women have plenty of freedom, it does not always translate into happiness.” Once a decision is made to settle down, trying to find a male interested in commitment becomes difficult, because plenty of women are still exercising sexual freedom.
Male and female relationship dynamics have also been influenced by the wide availability of pornography. Regnerus claims that there are a number of men under the age of 30 who are satisfied with having their sexual experiences alone. Further depleting the pool of available men. This means that there are women who will stay unsatisfyingly single because there are simply not enough decent men to go around.
The study also found that marriage before the age of 20 increased the risk of divorce. It is not getting married early that causes divorce, but the fact that young people are not equipped to deal with the level of adjustment required to sustain a marriage.
The good news is that among this age group sexual behaviour is less lascivious than one may think. College students tend to have stable relationships with few sexual partners.
According to the survey results from the book, 16% of 18-23 year olds are virgins, and out of the 16%, there were more male virgins than female. By age 27, the number of virgins is reduced to 8%.