Oct. 08--More than a quarter of males and females -- 27.1 percent -- didn't use contraceptives when they lost their virginity, according to a new study.
Young people were the least likely to use protection, while more than 95 percent of people who waited until age 20 or older to have sexual intercourse used contraceptives.
"The American Virgin: First-Time Sex Trends of U.S. Males and Females," gleaned from data collected by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's National Survey of Family Growth, looks at when Americans typically lose their virginity and what factors surround the moment. The National Survey of Family Growth interviews 10,000 males and females ages 15 to 44.
American males lose their virginity at an average age of 16.9, according to the research, compared with age 17.2 for females. The United Kingdom averages a younger age for males -- 16.5, while males in Switzerland and Norway lose their virginity at an average age of 18.5. In France, Italy and Switzerland, according to the study, females lose their virginity at an average age of 18.5. Females in the U.K. lose their virginity at 17.5, on average.
The vast majority of respondents said the first time they had sexual intercourse was voluntary. The 93.4 percent of females who called the experience voluntary were an average 17.2 years old when they lost their virginity. For the 6.6 percent who said their first time was involuntary, 16.2 was their average age at the time of the experience.
"Involuntary includes use of force or any sort of overt coercion," according to the National Survey of Family Growth questionnaire.
The 92.6 percent of males who said losing their virginity was voluntary were an average 16.9 years old when it happened. The 7.4 percent who said it was involuntary were an average 16.3 years old when they lost their virginity.
Whether parents or guardians talk about sex with their children doesn't correlate significantly with the age of first sexual experience, the researchers write. Nor does whether they coach kids on how to say no. The average age hovers around 16 either way.
Respondents who said their parents or guardians talked about sex were an average age of 16 when they lost their virginity. Respondents who said their parents or guardians never talked about sex were 16.2 years old.
