· Virginity Pledges Work...For A While: A study published in the American Journal of Sociology reports that teenagers who publicly pledge to remain virgins until marriage delay having sex by about 18 months in comparison with their non-pledging peers. Among those who make such promises, about 50% remained virgins until age 20. Among non-pledgers, 50% were no longer virgins at age 17. While the study admits many factors play into decisions of when to have sex, the study shows that the pledge did in fact add to the delay. At age 15 82% of non-pledgers are virgins, compared with 90% of pledgers. By 18, 32% of non-pledgers remained virgins, while 54% of those who had made pledges had still not had sex. Columbia University sociologist, Peter Bearman says it is "pure pledge effect." The study does point out that when pledgers break their promises and do have sex, they most often do so without any form of contraceptive, since it would be illogical for a student to both pledge abstinence and carry a contraceptive. (AP, January 4, 2001).