MSN reports in 2007 that a CDC study found that the average median number of sexual partners that a person has in their lifetime is 7 for men and 4 for women. What is your immediate reaction to this? Do you think it is high/low? Good/bad? Your thoughts?
Edited to add: Many of the comments questioned the number, thinking it was extremely low. This is the "median number" but the study also found:
- About 96 percent of U.S. adults have had sex.
- Sixteen percent of adults first had sex before age 15, while 15 percent abstained from sex until at least age 21.
- The proportion of adults who first had sex before age 15 was highest for non-Hispanic blacks (28 percent) compared to 14 percent for both Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
- Six percent of blacks abstained from sex until age 21 or older, fewer than Mexican-Americans (17 percent) or non-Hispanic whites (15 percent).
- Black men and women were more likely to report having 15 or more partners in a lifetime (46 percent and 13 percent, respectively) than other racial or ethnic groups.
- Seventeen percent of men and 10 percent of women reported having two or more sexual partners in the past year.
- Twenty-five percent of women and 17 percent of men reporting having no more than one partner of the other sex in their lifetime.
- Taken from an MSNBC article
Any additional thoughts?
This pleases me as I would have thought it would be much higher, based on media depiction. That being said, this is a median, I'm sure the average is much higher.
ReplyDeleteI think that number is probably on the low side. People get married later today than they did years ago and have more sexual experience prior to marriage. At any given time, there is a large number of single people out there who are having sex. Even just one differnt partner per year adds up. Also, there are married people who cheat. I don't approve of adultry or casual sex, but if single people are in loving relationships then I don't have a problem with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised the number isn't higher too! I think it's kinda gross though. I mean I know people have sex, with lots of people, but that grosses me out. What can I say, I'm old fashioned. I guess I figure you should only have sex with someone you're truly deeply in love with and committed to. And I don't see how anyone can say they're in love with and committed to that many people in a lifetime. And seeing as how I've only ever been with my husband, and he's only ever been with me.....I'm probably not the best person to ask!
ReplyDeleteI can't say I'm surprised or not surprised at the number. It just seems like it would vary sooooo much by what part of the population you're looking at! I agree with Candice that if they gave an average instead of a median, it would probably be higher. But then again, I think the median is a more accurate reflection of our society as a whole, since it doesn't let a few abnormally high numbers skew it upward for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI know people who have had higher numbers, and people who have had lower numbers, so I guess it seems "about right" to me. What surprises me is how much higher the number is for men than women! I know that it's common knowledge that men seek out sex more often than women, etc. etc. but it is quite shocking to see a statistic that shows men having sex so much more often than women. It makes me wonder if the men in the survey overreported or women underreported.
As to whether it's a bad or good, I also can't say. I'm curious about everyone else's perspective on that too! Elizabeth, I continue to pray for your family and Jacob. Thanks for the links in the last post! I'm looking to find out how I can be a volunteer at our local children's hospital, inspired by your son's journey. I hope he and your other two children are doing well.
I find this question to be very sad. If you are a follower of Christ, then any sexual relation outside of marriage is wrong. Sex is a sacred, special act that bonds two people together. It is sad, wrong, and disgusting to view it casually.
ReplyDeleteI happen to agree with you, Amy. I'm not surprised that other readers thought the number was low though...I too thought the same thing. Not that it SHOULD be higher, but that from what I hear having a new partner every few months or year can add up to a lot more than 4-7. It's sad that it isn't viewed as a sacred thing anymore, which I think is an extension of why marriage isn't viewed as sacred any longer as well.
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