Premarital sex

Premarital sex refers to sexual activity between individuals who are not married to each other. Historically, the term specifically described sex between two people who intended to marry, and it was used as a less negative alternative to "fornication," closely tied to the concept of virginity. Up until the 1950s, marriage typically occurred after age 21 in Western societies, and sex outside that context was not widely considered.

Over time, the definition broadened to include any sexual relations a person has before marriage, regardless of the relationship between the partners. This shift has created some ambiguity—for example, it is unclear whether sex between people legally barred from marrying, or sex by someone who never intends to marry, counts as premarital. Alternative terms like non-marital sex, youthful sex, adolescent sex, or young-adult sex have been proposed, but these also vary in meaning depending on how one defines "having sex."

Religion

Many major religions—including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—view premarital sex as a serious sin and morally forbidden. It remains a taboo in numerous cultures.

However, since the mid-20th century, liberal and progressive movements, particularly in the Western world, have increasingly accepted it. A 2014 Pew study on global morality found that disapproval was highest in Muslim-majority countries such as Malaysia, Jordan, and Pakistan, where over 90% of people considered it unacceptable. In contrast, Western European nations like Spain, Germany, and France showed less than 10% disapproval.

In modern Western cultures, the social value of sexual abstinence before marriage has declined. Historically, a notable portion of people engaged in premarital sex, though many were reluctant to admit it.

Prevalence

In a U.S. study, 61% of men and 12% of women born before 1910 reported having premarital sex; this gender gap may reflect cultural double standards or men's use of prostitutes. Starting in the 1920s, and especially after World War II, premarital sex became more common, particularly among women. By the end of the 20th century, between 75% and 80% of Americans had sex before age 22, attributed to factors like later marriage ages and widespread access to effective contraception.

According to a 2001 UNICEF survey of 12 developed nations, more than two-thirds of young people in 10 of those countries had sexual intercourse during their teens. In Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the figure exceeded 80%.

In Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., about 25% of 15-year-olds and 50% of 17-year-olds were sexually active. A 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation study of U.S. teens found that 29% felt pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually active teens reported being in a relationship that moved too fast sexually, and 24% had done something sexual they did not want to do. Several polls indicate peer pressure influences both boys and girls.

A 2007 article in Public Health Reports noted that a majority of Americans—including young adults in the late 1950s and early 1960s—had premarital sex. Data from the National Survey of Family Growth showed that in 2002, 77% of Americans had sex by age 20, and 75% of those had premarital sex. Among women born between 1949 and 1978, about 91% had premarital sex by age 30; for those born between 1939 and 1948, the figure was 82%. Comparing the General Social Survey from 1988–1996 to 2004–2012, researchers found no significant increase in the number of sexual partners since age 18, nor in the frequency of sex or number of partners in the past year.

However, current-era respondents were more likely to report sex with a casual date or friend than with a spouse or regular partner. From 1943 to 1999, young women's approval of premarital sex rose from 12% to 73%, and young men's from 40% to 79%. Feelings of guilt about premarital sex also declined. By 2005, less than 25% of people believed premarital sex was "always or almost always" wrong.

Gender differences

Gender differences appear in studies. A cohort study of U.S. university students found that men report more permissive attitudes toward casual sex than women.

Another study grouped university students by their ideal relationships: those wanting sex only in committed partnerships had fewer hookups and "friends with benefits" partners than those seeking flexible or recreational sex. A 2006 analysis of the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study found that more boys than girls reported having non-dating sexual partners. Among the sample, about a third of boys had only had sex with a romantic partner, while another third had sex with a partner they were not dating within the past year.