Teenagers who take the pledge to remain virgins until they are married generally fail to keep it. And they are less likely than those who haven’t taken the pledge to use contraception when they do break their vow.
Janet Rosenbaum, a post doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, used data from the US government’s National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health which gathered detailed information from 11,000 students in grades 7 to 12 and followed them for several years. Rosenbaum’s research team matched students on 100 variables and then compared those who took the virginity pledge in 1996 with those that did not take a pledge.
Reporting in Pediatrics, they found that by 2001, 82% of those who took the pledge had broken it. More than half of both groups had engaged in sexual activity and they had an average of 3 sexual partners whether they took the chastity pledge or not.
They did find two differences, however. The religious teenagers were far more conservative and generally lost their virginity approximately 3 years later than their non-religious peers. And unfortunately the kids who took the pledge were less likely to use a condom or any other form of contraception when they did first have sex.
The National Secular Society Newsletter reports: “When he was running for president, George W. Bush promised, “My administration will elevate abstinence education from an afterthought to an urgent goal.” Over the last eight years, a cottage industry of “abstinence-only-until-marriage” purveyors, such as The Silver Ring Thing became a large-scale industry. Funding increased from $73 million a year in 2001 to $204 million in 2008. That’s a grand total of $1.5 billion in federal money.”
As I read these figures I was struck by:
- The absurdity of the adults trying to make teenagers decide in advance of adult choices they might want to make (even allowing some of the adults to have well-intentioned motives). It is a bit like saying: “When you grow up I want you to vote Republican, because I think any other party is evil, and I want you to pledge to do that now.” Such pressure is abusive and demeaning to human beings. Far better to educate them about a full range of choices and let them be.
- The continued implication that sexual behaviour outside of marriage is somehow evil. That is so tragic. Sexual activity is a part of humanity. Helping people to regulate that activity responsibly is one helpful and realistic - but condemning it is unrealistic and dysfunctional. The pledge didn’t stop the activity but just saddled it with tonnes of unnecessary guilt.
- The complete and utter naivity of the method of thinking that making a pledge would stop something (especially sexual activity). As one who works professionally with human behaviour and is aware of my own, asking teenagers to pledge chastity is a bit like King Cnute commanding the waves to stop. When I used to be a Christian I worked for several years as a pastoral worker at several national Christian conventions. My experience there was that some of people who came to see me were concerned that despite their Christian experience and profession and intentions and prayers, they were finding it difficult to refrain from pre-marital sex, or extra-marital sex, or masturbation. Pledges have a low success rate, as this study shows.
- The consequences of abstinence education appear counter-productive. Not only is it ineffective in stopping sexual activity outside or marriage, but it appears to be putting those students who take the pledge at greater risk of unwanted pregnancy. Perhaps the unnecessary guilt factor means that they are either less knowledgable about contraception or less likely to be able to obtain it.
These figures do not surprise me.
Nor me either, (With reference to that last sentence.)
Thanks for bringing this information to our attention.
I agree completely with your sentiments on this subject.
I have heard of the “silver ring thing pledge” and think it is utterly naive.
Sexuality is such a powerful urge that while I support the principle of “delay and wait until the time is right” idea, I know that in practice it seldoms happens.
I lost my own virginity, as a Christain. I remember the event with an all too cringe withering memory.
It was an encounter I would not want for my own daughter. I was naive and little informed. It was dismal but at least it happened with contraception. My church got to somehow hear of “the event” and we were chaperoned thereafter, and no more sex. It was very much a one offand frowned upon until marriage. We felt quilty that we had fallen short and sinned. What nonsence now I think of it.
And what a disaster that marraige was. No, I used to be all for the purity and wait bit. While I would want to see my own child safe and protected and would encourage minimal sexual partners in her life time, I know I can not dictate what she chooses to do.
Teeneagers need just more openess, discussion and talk about relationships and what constitiues a good sexual relationship and not to make them feel they have to pledge on something they have such inexperience and little knowledge off with respect to those feelings and life forces.
The more I hear myself talk on this subject, the more certain I feel that that next job application is a must for me to apply for.
I have enjoyed commenting on this post and reading it.
I don’t agree with the chastity pledge at all. Sexual experimentation is part of growing up and nothing will ever curb it, all we can do is ensure that young people know how to experiment safely to avoid pregnancy, STDs and activity which would constitute abuse. I am not surprised that those who take a pledge are less likely to take precautions - they are presumably more careful to hide sexual activity from family (so daren’t risk precautions as they are evidence of intent to break the pledge) and also deny to themselves that they are going to give in and then it is too late.
I think it is as essential to check out sexual compatibility with a partner as with any other aspect of your relationship. People have different attitudes and approaches to sex and what suits one will not suit another. I have been out with many people who I liked a great deal but whom would not have been suitable longterm sexual partners for me.
My own personal approach (and I was a slow starter for a variety of reasons) is the one I suggested to my daughter. I swore early on that I would never have sex on a first date and I have stuck to that always. It is not a difficult rule to stick to and yet it buys a little time - to change my mind, to make sure I am protected, to not seem too easy, to be sure it is my decision. I have no idea if she has done that or not and I have no particular wish to know. She has had a number of boyfriends and so far (at 20) has avoided getting pregnant.
But as you know I am not a religious soul and the whole moral issue surrounding sex outside of marriage is completely incomprehensible to me.
RB noted that young people who take these pledges probably “deny to themselves that they are going to give in and then it is too late.”
Speaking as a graduate of a Christian college, and a former professor at a Bible college, I’d bet that’s the case most of the time.
I agree with The Chaplain. Having been a prude myself, I know that I wasn’t expecting to feel the urges or to feel tempted.
After every temptation I would ask God to make me strong, and then I was sure I would be strong next time. God didn’t give me any strength, which only came from the full awareness of what I would be getting myself into.
To be honest, what kept me “pure” was not my fear of God–not for a second. It was fear of pregnancy and STD’s, which my mother and my brothers made pretty damn sure I understood.
My brothers had also explained to me that boys weren’t really interested in my but just in getting their way. They assured me that if I had sex, I would be dumped the day after for being used goods.
So basically, it was education–right or wrong–what kept me in line. In the heat of the passion God became somebody who would understand my weakness in His infinite love
onethoughtfulwoman
Thank you for your honesty. I am pleased that you enjoyed the post and that we appear to now share similar views, despite our controlled pasts. I am sure you would be very good at teaching teenagers about bananas
Reluctant Blogger
I liked the point about sexual experimentation being normal. It struck me how we encourage learning via trial and error in all sorts of ways, and as a society, need to encourage safe sexual learning. Learning can be fun. A false morality has robbed a lot of people of a lot of innocent fun! And I’m sure there is a need for life-long sexual learning too.
the chaplain
And of course, denial doesn’t remove reality, it just moves it underground.
There sure is a lot of denial in religious institutions, isn’t there
Lorena
. I was amused by your last point. That’s always been the case in my experience. Christians are told not to do it on pain of immortal terror, and then when they inevitably do, are assured that God loves them and forgives them. Kinda mixed messages really.
You certainly learned some effective, if terrifying and misguided lessons
Assuming the figures are correct and mean what they are said to mean (and as a regular reader of Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science articles and blog, I tend to be sceptical about surveys and their interpretation) the findings strike me as being very optimistic: it shows that it is a lot harder to program or “brain-wash” youth than some people would like us to believe.
But, of course, we knew that: look at all those failed government initiatives (”Short, sharp shock”, anyone?) to “reform” our youth. Why should Christian abstentionists fare any better?
ATman,
I suppose my sex education was rudely real. My brothers were promiscuous, I knew that since about the age of nine. They had several girl friends at the same time and kept records of who had been deflowered. I also knew that they dumped girls all the time.
So I suppose it wasn’t as much what they said as it was their example. Frankly, with all that awful experience, I should be single and bitter toward all men–which maybe I am. You’re the psychologist. You tell me. Do I hate men?
Anyway, you are right. I did receive severely misguided advice. But maybe it was right for the culture and the environment I grew up in–with lots of jerks like my brothers.
Lorena
In answer to your question, I wouldn’t presume to know. However, despite the negative experiences, it seems that you have managed to qualify the information you received and modify it in some way. Nevertheless, we all have experiences which significantly colour our world view.
ATman,
Thank you for your kind response, so diplomatic, classy, and wise.