May December News: Age Gap and First Sexual Experiences

Do we actually need to learn to talk about sex?

(Posted by Maya Sokolovski)

Today I will focus on a journal article titled “First Sexual Partnerships – Age Differences and Their Significance: Empirical Evidence from the 2000 British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (‘Natsal 2000′).” It appeared in a 2006 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, and was put together by no less than eight researchers. The focal point of the study is age as it relates to experiences at first sexual intercourse.  You can read the article abstract here. And, like the authors of the article I reviewed previously, the authors define a significant age difference as being ten years.

• Ethnicity was significant.  Respondents who were not white were more likely to have a relatively older or relatively younger first sexual partner.
• On average, women entering into a relationship with significantly older men were shown less likely, as teens, to have had communication with their parents about sex.

Additionally, the study sheds light on the circumstances surrounding these first sexual relationships with an older partner.

• The men and women with a relatively older first partner tended to report that they had only recently met their first partner. They also reported that the older first partner “was more willing to have intercourse than they were.”
• Regardless of gender, the younger partner did not necessarily feel they should have waited to have sex, but men who had a relatively younger first partner were more likely to feel they “should have waited longer…” Thus, there were feelings of regret associated with first intercourse in an older man/younger woman dyad.
• Females whose first sexual relationship was with a relatively older male tended to report that this older male was their major source of sexual education.
• The males a first intercourse (whether with an older of younger female) tended not to use reliable contraception.  (My conclusion: there is a tendency towards irresponsibility in first intercourse and the research seems to point the finger of responsibility at the males.)

Maya’s Commentary:

This study is very comprehensive, as it has over 8000 respondents, men and women between 25 and 44 years of age. While it describes tendencies in first sexual unions, the article, regrettably, does not go on to tell us what happens afterward. This article uses data gathered in the UK.  Most of the research on age-gap relationships is based on Western culture, but at least we have some studies to work with. However, at a later date, I will be reviewing at least one article that examines non-Western societies. Perhaps, in the future, we will be able to have a better understanding of age-gap relationships as they exist not only in our societies but also in many diverse countries of the world.

In closing, I would like to quote from the very end of this study.  It is important that we more effectively promote “effective communication and negotiation skills as key components of sex and relationship education to encourage egalitarian relationships, skills that may be of even greater importance when young women’s and young men’s first sexual partners are not of a similar age.”  We are working to provide information to help bridge this gap with our May December Secrets website.

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