State of World Population 2012 - Country Page List - UNFPA

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Teenager in
Madagascar listens to
a talk about safe sex.
©Panos/Piers Benatar
25 has decreased compared to earlier generations
(Lloyd, ed, 2005; Greene and Merrick,
n.d.). These trends have led to an increase in
the prevalence of premarital sex among young
people. In developed countries, there has been
a clear increase in the number of years between
first intercourse and marriage (Mensch, Grant
and Blanc, 2005). The time between first sexual
intercourse and living with a partner is longer for
men (three to six years) than for women (up to
two years).
The increased time interval between age at
first sex and age at first marriage have implications
for the sexual health risks and needs of
young people, particularly for school-aged girls.
A recent cross-country analysis of 39 countries
found that—with the exceptions of Benin and
Mali—unmarried girls (ages 15 to 17) who
attend school are considerably less likely to have
had premarital sex, as compared to their outof-school
peers (Biddlecom et al., 2008; Lloyd,
2010). Even though individual, familial, and
social factors influence sexual behaviour and
school participation, these findings underscore
the protective effects that an education confers
against adolescent pregnancy and its adverse
outcomes. Evidence from five countries in West
Africa suggests that pregnancy and early marriage
may be consequences, rather than causes, of girls
dropping out of school in some settings (Lloyd
and Mensch, 2008).
Millions of young people have sex before their
parents acknowledge it or before institutions
respond to their needs. These young people—
married and unmarried—also need services to
avoid unintended pregnancy and prevent sexually
transmitted infections including HIV but often
do not have access.
Young people’s sexual activity challenges the
emphasis on abstinence and the view that sex
should occur strictly for procreation. The reality
is that many young people are not abstinent,
and their sexual activity is not motivated by a
desire to have children. Qualitative assessments
in sub-Saharan Africa suggest that sexually active
unmarried young people are generally not seeking
to become pregnant (Cleland, Ali and Shah,
2006). Furthermore, married young people do
not necessarily wish to become pregnant at a
young age or, if they have already had a child,
some wish to delay a second pregnancy.
Given young people’s desire to delay childbearing
and prevent disease, the term “family
planning” may seem irrelevant to their needs.
Recent research touches upon this key point:
Many young people can be interested in contraception
to prevent unwanted pregnancy and to
protect against sexually transmitted infections,
50 CHAPTER 3: CHALLENGES IN EXTENDING ACCESS TO EVERYONE