Gage A J, Meekers D
Demographic and Health Surveys, Macro International Inc., Calverton, Maryland 20705.
Soc Biol. 1994 Spring-Summer;41(1-2):44-60.
Throughout sub-Saharan Africa there is notable concern about the consequences of premarital sexual intercourse, such as illegal abortions and pregnancy-related school dropouts, and the potential risk of HIV infection. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, the authors investigated sexual activity among never-married women aged 15-24 in Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, and Zimbabwe. While there are important cross-country differentials, in most countries the majority of unmarried adolescents have been sexually active. Contrary to the common belief that teenage premarital sexual activity is a new phenomenon caused by socioeconomic development, particularly Western education, the data show that in most countries sexual activity among unmarried adolescents was also common in the past, and that increases across cohorts have occurred mostly in countries where the prevalence was already high. For most countries, there is little support for theories claiming that education is associated with loose morals and high levels of premarital sexual activity. The findings highlight the importance of family-planning services for unmarried adolescents and of family-life education in primary schools to reach children before they become sexually active.
在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，人们对婚前性行为的后果深感担忧，比如非法堕胎和与怀孕相关的辍学现象，以及感染艾滋病毒的潜在风险。作者利用人口与健康调查的数据，对博茨瓦纳、布隆迪、加纳、肯尼亚、利比里亚和津巴布韦15至24岁未婚女性的性行为进行了调查。虽然存在重要的跨国差异，但在大多数国家，大多数未婚青少年都有过性活动。与普遍认为青少年婚前性行为是社会经济发展尤其是西方教育导致的新现象相反，数据显示在大多数国家，未婚青少年的性活动在过去也很普遍，而且各年龄段人群的性活动增加大多发生在患病率已经很高的国家。对于大多数国家来说，很少有证据支持那些声称教育与道德松弛和高婚前性行为水平有关的理论。研究结果凸显了为未婚青少年提供计划生育服务以及在小学开展家庭生活教育以便在儿童性活跃之前就对其进行教育的重要性。
