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You’re over 21 years old and still a virgin? That’s perfectly normal

A common theme in today’s pop culture is how concerned kids are with when is the “right time” to lose their virginity.

Entire movies have been made on the subject – Tom Cruise’s Losin’ It is probably not on the higher end of his personal accomplishments, we’re fairly certain.  But what once was a Very Special Episode of Blossom or Family Ties, or one of those mandatory Afterschool Specials that we all rushed home to watch together – it’s now become almost a punchline in any major sitcom or movie being made today.

The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women
The Purity Myth:
How America’s Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women

So, is being a virgin late in life really that big of a deal?

If what the CDC is reporting is accurate, people are no longer obsessed with losing their virginity at the drop of a hat.

Here’s what they report in their study entitled SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, SEXUAL ATTRACTION, and SEXUAL IDENTITY IN THE UNITED STATES:

The number of women who responded that they had not had any sexual contact with the oppostite sex were:

  • Women between the ages of 15-19 years old: 46.8%
  • 15-17 years old: 60.3%
  • 18-19 years old: 29.7%
  • 20-24 years old: 12.3%
  • 25-29 years old: 3.4%
  • 30-34 years old: 1.9%

Looking at the entire survey of women aged 15-44 years old, 11% report never had any sexual contact with the opposite sex.

The number of men who responded that they had not had any sexual contact with the oppostite sex were:

  • Men between the ages of 15-19 years old: 41.6%
  • 15-17 years old: 52.4%
  • 18-19 years old: 24.1%
  • 20-24 years old: 14.3%
  • 25-29 years old: 3.8%
  • 30-34 years old: 3.1%

Looking at the entire survey of men aged 15-44 years old, 11.2% report never had any sexual contact with the opposite sex.

Our conclusion, based on the percentages we see here:  women are more promiscious than men are later in life, with more women engaging in sexual activity as they get older compared to the percentage of men who are reporting that they still have never had sexual contact with the opposite sex.

Of course, one could surmise that the “opposite sex” portion of the question could skew results.  The CDC was aware of this, and did ask the appropriate companion question.

For women aged 15-44, 12.5% reporting having some sort of same-sex interaction.  For men aged 15-44, only 5.2% reported any same-sex sexual behavior.

The CDC report is nothing if not thorough in its analysis.  There’s even a question on the different types of sexual activity that opposite-sex partners partake in.  We’ll leave it to Web Watch readers to read the details in the report, but it may be interesting to note that 62.1% of one particular activity — a very high percentage compared to others on the chart — took place between couples who were “formerly married, and not cohabitating”.  We’ll just leave you to draw your own conclusions on why this particular line item may be so high.