Sexual Activity and Pregnancy
Girls and boys from early ages are exposed to varying messages about sexual activity and pregnancy from intended and unintended sources. Those varying messages influence the decisions youth make. Youth development, education, health, out-of-school time, social services, and government organizations can have a positive effect on girls and boys as they face decisions related to sexual activity and pregnancy.
Statistics
• In 2005, roughly a third of both male and female high school students reported being sexually active. (ChildTrends.org, Child and Youth Indicators Databank: Sexually Active Teens, 2006)
• In 2005, 44.1% of sexually active female high school students did not use a condom at their most recent sexual intercourse compared with 30% of males. (Centers for Disease Control, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—2005)
• Females and males report similar levels of any oral sex experience; in 2002, 54% of teen females and 55% of teen males reported engaging in oral sex. (ChildTrends.org, Child and Youth Indicators Databank: Oral Sex, 2006)
• In 2005, 12% of high school females had sexual intercourse with four or more persons during their lifetime compared to 16.5% of high school males. (Centers for Disease Control, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—2005)
• Annually, there are over 750,000 teen pregnancies. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 81% are to unmarried teens. (The Guttmacher Institute, U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics, National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, 2006)
• After increasing 23% between 1972 and 1990 to an all-time high, the teen pregnancy rate for girls aged 15-19 declined 36% between 1990 and 2002 (the most recent year that nationally-representative data is available). (The Guttmacher Institute, U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics, National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, 2006)
• Teen pregnancy rates vary among the three largest racial/ethnic groups. Between 1990 and 2002, rates for African-American and non-Hispanic white teens (aged 15-19) declined 40% and 34% respectively. The rate for Hispanics teens aged 15-19 declined 19% during the same time period. (The Guttmacher Institute (2006) U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics, National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity)
• Teen girls (50%) are far less likely than teen boys (69%) to say the decision to use contraception is shared equally by both partners. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Science Says: American Opinion on Teen Pregnancy and Related Issues 2007)
• Six in ten sexually experienced teens (60%) say they wish they had waited longer to have sex, including 67% of those aged 12-14 and 57% of those aged 15-19. Almost equal proportions of teen boys (73%) and teen girls (78%) say that being a virgin is not embarrassing. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Science Says: American Opinion on Teen Pregnancy and Related Issues 2007)
• The overwhelming majority of teens (90%) think it is important for teens to be given a strong message that they should not have sex until they are at least out of high school. It is also the case that a clear majority of teens (56%) believe young people should be getting information about abstinence and contraception, rather than either/or. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Science Says: American Opinion on Teen Pregnancy and Related Issues 2007)
• Just as young girls are confronted with difficult "teen" issues like dating and sex at an increasingly early age, they are learning that their family confidantes are often unwilling or unable to discuss such issues. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, Teens Before Their Time (2000))
