Premarital Sex in America

Abstract

This book tells the definitive story of the sexual and relationship values and practices of young adults. The authors draw upon their analysis of nationally representative data and scores of in-person interviews to help shed light on numerous questions about the sex lives of young Americans, including how long their relationships last, how quickly they become sexual, why the double standard is so stubborn, who remains a virgin and for how long, how gender imbalances in college change the rules of mating, the “price” of sex and its effects on relationship security, how online social networking and porn alter the market in relationships, how emerging adults think about marriage and relationship permanence, who marries early, why the age at marriage is rising rapidly, and how “red” and “blue” politics are reflected in our sexual choices. This book reveals striking disparities between college students and those who never pursued higher education, between conservatives and liberals, and between men and women in their experiences of romantic and sexual relationships. Although women continue to make great strides in higher education and the economy, their relationships are stalling and making many of them unhappy. Quests for sexual chemistry fall short or even backfire, revealing discordant experiences with serial monogamy among many men and women. And yet the powerful scripts of sexual equality and romantic individualism propel emerging adults forward to try again. The result is an omnibus study of sex and relationships in the lives of heterosexual emerging adults in America.