When I was
conducting the introductory survey assignment about people’s initial ideas on sex, I
received some shocking and slightly depressing answers from the people around
me. Many of them did not know what feminism and gender really meant. What
surprised me the most, however, were the responses to the number of virgins in
college. The estimated numbers were very low, one as low as only 5%. As a virgin myself,
I was shocked by how low my friend’s estimates were. When I told them that
actually 1/3 of college students are virgins, a few of my friends were surprised
that the number was so high. They were sure more people were out engaging in
sexual activity than just 2/3 of the population of college students. That made
me wonder to myself, why does everyone think college is an opportunity to just
have sex all of the time? I discovered that it’s because this generation is more
interested in casual sex than actual relationships.
The” hook-up generation” is the
name given to the young adults and college students who engage in sexual
activity without any real commitment. Some people call it “friends with
benefits.” Hooking up can range from kissing to sexual intercourse(3). Although
there are no strings attached, I think it’s funny how the friends with benefits
participants still get upset about the other partner’s flirtatious or sexual encounters.
Hooking up with random partners or friends complicates relationships sometimes, yet it
has become a very popular lifestyle that many college students practice.
Ironically enough, the National Center of Health Statistics says the
percentage of virgins ages 18-24 are also increasing, despite the amount of
casual sex occurring (1). But the definition of sexual activity can be skewed
based on perception. With the phrase “hook up” being as ambiguous as it is,
many people are saying they are having sex when really they have only engaged
in foreplay or passionate kissing. 56.5% of those who say they are sexually
active are talking of the phrase in this loose fashion, and although about 79% of those who
said they are were actually having intercourse (2), there are still a good 1/5
of the surveyed that are not doing much at all.
Being a virgin is a choice (a
majority of the time), and I feel that those who choose not to have sex should
not be pressured by society into doing so. Having sex in college happens
sometimes but isn’t as common as everyone thinks it is, even within the hook-up
culture. Most students who are virgins say they are focusing on their degree or
are waiting until marriage to have sex with their significant other. To the
virgins out there, just remember that there is no pressure.
_________________________________
1. Jayson,
Sharon. "More college 'hookups,' but more virgins, too." USATODAY,
sec. Health and Wellnes, March 30, 2011.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/dating/story/2011/03/More-hookups-on-campuses-but-more-virgins-too/45556388/1
(accessed January 17, 2014)
2.
Columbia University. "College student sex
stats: Am I the only one not doing it?." Go Ask Alice!.
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/college-student-sex-stats-am-i-only-one-not-doing-it
(accessed January 17, 2014).
3.
Kerner, Ian. "Young adults and a hookup
culture." CNN Health. (2013).
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/16/health/kerner-hookup-culture/ (accessed January
17, 2014).
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