Friday, January 17, 2014

Virgins in the Hook-Up Generation

By: Brianna Douglas

        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.
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
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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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