VENTURE

Are modern students’ sheets too loose?
A look into the sex lives of Mt. Hood Community College students reveals current trends and attitudes towards casual intercourse

By Christina Hammett

When it comes to the topic of sex, everyone is different, and that includes Mt. Hood students.

On May 21, Venture surveyed 113 MHCC students, and the results of the 11-question sexual preferences and attitudes poll provide a revealing look between the sheets.

The survey showed that 39 percent of men and 31 percent of women were still virgins, meaning that 61 percent of males and 69 percent of females had engaged in sexual intercourse. Of the virgins surveyed, 92 percent of females and 54 percent of males said it was essential or very important to wait for marriage before having sex for the first time.

Of those who have shed their virginity, 16 seemed to be the main age for doing so, with 23 percent of males and 30 percent of females experiencing sex for the first time at this age. For males, 18 was the age when the second largest group for males lost their virginity (21 percent). For females, 19 was the second largest group, with 17 percent giving it up at this time in their lives.

The earliest age reported among women losing their virginity was 14 (two respondents) and three reported beginning at 15.

For males, one person reported having sex for the first time at age 10, while two reported starting at 13 and three at 14.

In research from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and the National Survey of Adolescent Males (NSAM) from 1995, released by the Alan Guttmacher Institute in 2002, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of reproductive health, the median age at first intercourse is 16.9 years for men and 17.4 years for women.

In another survey conducted in 2006 at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., 250 even-numbered male and female students were surveyed at random regarding their sexual habits. The results showed 41 percent of the students were virgins (compared to 43 percent in 2005.) It was also reported that one-third of the undergrads and graduates surveyed did not use protection regularly when engaging in sexual activities.

Of those students surveyed at Mt. Hood, 48 percent of women said they use birth control and of these women, 40 percent began taking the pill at 16 years old. Fifty percent of women polled did not use birth control (including three out of four women surveyed who were 36 and older) and two percent chose not to respond. Of the 12 women virgins in the survey, one reported taking birth control, 10 said they did not and one did not respond.

Venture asked male students if they carry condoms with them when they go out. Of the 61 men who responded, 43 said no (71 percent), 10 said yes (16 percent), and eight said sometimes (13 percent.)

Asked whether they would have sex on a first date or on the first night they met someone, the majority of Mt. Hood females said no with an overwhelming 71 percent. Twenty-four percent said it was “not likely” and 5 percent said it depends on the situation. Response from males was far more split, with 28 percent saying no, 30 percent saying not likely, 34 percent saying it all depends and eight percent said there was no problem at all. Of the 12 female virgins surveyed, 100 percent said no to sex on the first date, and of the male virgins, 14 said no, seven said not likely and eight said it all depends.

Other findings were that 49 percent of males surveyed by Venture said they either never use alcohol and drugs before sex or that the topic was not applicable; 52 percent of females said the same. When Mt. Hood students were asked whether it would be easier to have sex with a stranger or with someone you know, 69 percent of males said someone you know, five percent said with a stranger, 3 percent said it does not matter and 21 percent did not reply. Of the females surveyed, 66 percent said it would be easier to have sex with someone you know, five percent said with a stranger, and 29 percent chose not to respond.

Even though the majority of men and women said they would rather have sex with someone they know, of the 37 women who responded, 43 percent said they disapprove of having sex with friends, 35 percent said they were neutral on the subject and 22 percent said it was fine to have “buddy sex.” Of the 58 males responding to the question, 41 percent saying they disapproved, 38 percent saying they approved and 21 percent remained neutral.

There were many responses when students were asked whether they approved or disapproved of the concept of “buddy sex.” One female respondent said of the friends-with-benefits idea, “As long as it’s safe, it’s not a problem.” Another female said, “I approve, (but it’s) just not for me.”

A male said, “I now disapprove (although he had done it in the past),” and another man added, “You’re screwed in the long run.”