What do you think the factors to earlier sexual activity amongst teenagers?

Question:

What do you think the factors to earlier sexual activity amongst teenagers?

I think one would be the sexualized media in today's society... Any other proposals or ideas?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

While I tend to agree on some level with a previous poster who said that teen pregnancy is "natural," evolutionarily speaking, I think there are some contemporary factors as well. I think girls are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors and, thus, end up pregnant, if their lives otherwise lack support and connection. I really hate to mention the father-figure issue, but I've seen it first hand, girls who get no love at home, so they look for it elsewhere. I also think that the media plays into it - promiscuity is "cool," and women in the media are so scantily clad I sometimes blush. It's like girls are taught their most important contribution to humanity is sexuality (and on some level, it may be - but that creative power is not used to celebrate women but to objectify them), but today there are so many other options for us. I think a lot of girls lack identity and self-respect - in so many cases, our children are treated like non-persons, ignorant, shiftless, accessories or nuisances. Although it is common for women to define themselves in terms of their relationships, it too often gets out of hand. I really think, and research shows, that girls who are involved in activities - intellectual, physical, community endeavors - are less likely to engage in risky behaviors and become pregnant - girls who are secure in their identites and their place in the community make an invaluable contribution. Sadly, their encouragement to do so (particularly in low-income areas) is inconsistent at best.

By the way, I find it so interesting how the responses here focus almost solely on the female end of sexual activity. What about the boys? Boys may be encouraged to be sexual "conquistadors" even more strongly than girls are to be sexy. In this case, I think a boy's sexual curiosity is impacted to a large degree by how his father or other male figures talk about, think about, and treat women. And, of course, pop culture is a huge factor, too.