When many people think of virginity they think of teenage years, high school, or even college. They think of how it may affect their social lives, popularity, or a memorable moment they will remember forever. What they do not think about is how will loosing ones virginity may affect their future marriage.
A recent study by the University of Iowa found out some very shocking news correlating the time when women lost their virginity, to current divorce rates. This study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family surveyed close to 4,000 women.
The study found that women who had lost their virginity in their teens had a shockingly high divorce rate once married. Within 5 years of being married, those women who lost their virginity in their teens had a 31 percent divorce rate. Within 10 years of being married, those same women had a 47 percent divorce rate. This rate alone illustrates that among women in this study almost 50 percent of women who lost their virginity in their teenage years statically should be divorced within 10 years of their marriage.
The study also found that women who waited to lose their virginity after their teenage years had a much lower divorce rate. Within 5 years of being married, those women who waited to lose their virginity had a 15 percent divorce rate. Within 10 years of being married, those same women had a 27 percent divorce rate. This rate alone illustrates that the women in this study who waited to lose their virginity after their teenage years, after 10 years of marriage had a remarkably lower divorce rate compared to those who lost their virginity in their teens after 5 years.
Age isn’t the only factor that would affect the in Fort Lauderdale divorce statistics. Some women who had unwanted sexual encounters before the age of 18, made up 42 percent of those women who lost their virginity in their teens. According to Anthony Paik, the study’s author, these unwanted sexual encounters could lead to the negative impact on how women feel about relationships, or how their own relationship skills are. This could directly impact the divorce rate because of women’s relationship issues.
This article gives people something to think about. As teens we tend to think impulsively, act reckless, and sometimes not think about the future. Maybe this is something we should talk about with a younger generation of America to possibly lower the current rate of divorce.