Hold onto your virginity…Prevent Divorce?

Losing your virginity at an early age, ladies, could lead to divorce later in life. Sounds a little out there, right? But a new study has linked women who lost their virginity at an early age to a higher risk of divorce in your first marriage. The study looked at more than 7,000 female respondents aged 14 to 44 to determine whether premarital sex influenced divorce. Timing and context are the key factors in this study; if a girl under the age of 14 lost her virginity and this outcome was “unwanted,” she was likely to have many sexual partners before marriage, risk potential unwanted pregnancy or contract sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, the researchers contend she will probably get divorced within the first five years of marriage as well.

What exactly is “unwanted” sex? The study says this is when one feels pressured to have sex or possibly was the victim of child abuse. It makes sense that someone whose first sexual experience was a traumatic one would potentially develop issues with relationships later in life. Recovering from abuse is not an easy feat; it takes time, work and maybe even lots of therapy.

It was found that women who had sex after the age of 18 were far less likely to get a divorce within the first five years of marriage during their first marriage. The drawbacks that the study recognized was that is did not take into account the employment status and education, among other things, that typically contribute to divorce. There is also no mention of how a man's sexual activity at an early age contributed to divorce; this could be an interesting follow-up study.

Divorce happens for many reasons and sometimes we don't have control over it. Yes, when, how and why you lost your virginity can contribute to how you function in a relationship later in life, but are certainly not the only reasons you might get a divorce. If you are a parent, talk to your children about sex; educate them on the good stuff and the bad stuff. You may not be able to stop it from happening but you might be able to shed a little light on the situation that could lead to lasting relationships for your children.