Virgin brides now rare

Press, 26 March 1980, Page 17

Virgin brides now rare

NZPA London Virgin brides are a rarity in Britain today, with sexual activity among young girls now commonplace, according to a survey. Five out of six girls today have lost their virginity by the time they leave their teens compared with one in eight in a 1964 survey, according to the survey of 10,000 girls conducted by a sociologist and published in a women’s magazine, “Nineteen”.

The survey found that 54 per cent of girls aged 16 or under claimed to be virgins, 43 per cent aged 17, 22 per cent aged 18, and 17 per cent aged 19. . Of the 46 per cent who said they had first had intercourse when they were 16 or under, one in

four, or 11 per cent of the total, had had 10 or more partners before they left their teens. Only 6 per cent of the girls used no contraception but 8 per cent over the age of 15 had had abortions. “A trend towards much

earlier sexual intercourse has been shown by recent American research,” said the survey. “Our material supports this idea for Britain. “It seems this experience .is a new phenomenon and the fact that such a large proportion of

under-age girls have intercourse early clearly raises issues for those engaged in sex education at school, the news media, and those providing contraceptive advice and facilities.” The survey found that the virgin bride had become a rarity and sexual

experience had increased dramatically in recent years. But only 10 per cent of the girls questioned said they would prefer unmarried cohabitation to marriage. Eight out of 10 girls said they would be willing' to live with their man, with or without reservations or marriage prospects. The survey found 6 per cent of unmarried girls living with their boyfriends.