A research conducted by scientists at the San Diego State University has showed that people who were born from 1981 to 1997 have a lower number of pre-marital partners when compared to earlier generations.
It is surprising how despite the fact that pre-marital sex is more tolerated by nowadays youth millennials have less sexual intercourse than their parents did. According to the study which was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior this may be the result of a better sexual education.
In the study 33.000 people were surveyed between 1972 and 2012. The research did not take into account the young age of millennials who could have years of more sex in the future, before getting married. The results of the study showed that 58% of the participants who were surveyed in 2012 were of the opinion that pre-marital sex is acceptable, whereas in 2004 only 44% believed so. In 1972 only 28% agreed with pre-marital sex and in 1978 38% approved of this.
Another surprising discovery which the researchers made was to find out that the baby boomers (people from the 1940s to 1950s) had eleven sex partners and people belonging to the Generation X (from 1960s to early 1980s) had an average of 10 partners. Surprisingly millennials have an average of eight sexual partners before they get married.
The lead author of the study, Professor Jean Twenge of the San Diego State University remarked:
“The changes are primarily due to generation — suggesting people develop their sexual attitudes while young, rather than everyone of all ages changing at the same time.”
According to her this has led to a big generation gap regarding the attitudes towards the number of sexual partners and pre-marital sex.
The research has also showed that millennials have a better acceptance of same-sex relationships. The acceptance has noticeably increased between 1990 and 2012. It grew from an average of 13% to almost 44%.
According to Twenge the results of the study reflect the practical outlook millennials have when it comes to delaying sex. This indicates that the youth of today are aware of the health risks of sexually transmitted diseases and accidental pregnancies. The findings also suggest the millennial generation is a more individualistic and tolerant generation. Millennials are more receptive when it comes to making decisions and accepting other people’s choices.
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