· 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).
Ivy Jungle
tags: Discipline Discipline × Sex Sex ×