Gender, Ethnicity, and the Developmental Timing of First Sexual and Romantic Experiences

Abstract

One of the most important tasks faced by adolescents and young adults is the formation of romantic relationships. Little is known, however, about the developmental timing of early relational experiences. This study investigated the age at which an ethnically diverse sample of young adults (N = 683) experienced their very first date, love, serious relationship, kiss, and act of intercourse. Most had experienced each event by the end of high school, with first dates and kisses occurring at earlier ages than falling in love or intercourse. Gender and ethnic differences were found. For example, young men began dating at earlier ages than did young women. Asian American participants were less sexually and romantically experienced, and had their very first sexual experiences at an older age, than African American, Latino/Hispanic, and Caucasian/non-Hispanic White participants. Interestingly, there were no differences in first romantic love experience. Almost all men and women within each ethnic group had fallen in love at least once, typically around age 17; this suggests that romantic love is a common human life event and that it first occurs during the developmental period spanning late adolescence and early adulthood.

Do Perceptions of Friends’ Behaviors Affect Age at First Sex? Evidence from Cebu, Philippines

“…All analyses were done separately for boys and girls because the context within which adolescents form sexual partnerships is strongly gender specific and the determinants of the timing of first sex differ between them [10,24,31,32]. All standard errors in the analysis were adjusted for any clustering that would arise due to lack of independence of adolescents from the same barangay (community).…”

Sexual Activity and Other Risk-Taking Behaviors among Asian-American Adolescents

“…13e16 In addition to lower sexual activity rates, Asian-American adolescents are also less likely to have ever been kissed, experienced a first date, or been involved in a serious relationship. 17 In a survey of California high school students, 27% of AsianAmericans reported lifetime sexual activity compared to 50% of non-Hispanic whites. 18 Explanations for this finding include fear of parental and peer disapproval of premarital sexual activity among AsianAmerican adolescents.…”

“A Story and a Ring”: Audience Judgments about Engagement Proposals

“…Montgomery also discovered significant age differences, with older participants idealizing romantic love less than younger participants, while also reporting more romantic experiences such as dating and being in love. In contrast, a study by Regan et al (2004) of ethnically diverse college students at a large American university in the west documented that more women than men reported having ever been in love or having been kissed, although the vast majority of both men and women in their study reported having engaged in these romantic activities. This study also noted age effects centering on the age at which participants first kissed, first fell in love, and first engaged in sexual intercourse.…”