Virgins at age 26: who are they?

Abstract

Background Studies on virgins remain scarce. This study explores the characteristics of virgin young adults, the reasons for remaining virgin, and its potential social and health implications. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Swiss study on sexual health and behaviour among young adults. A total of 5175 participants (mean age 26 years ± 0.01) were divided into virgins and non-virgins. Virginity was defined as never having had a sexual partner, defined as a person with whom the participant has had sexual contact with or without penetration. Results: A total of 275 (5.3% (95% CI: 4.7–6.0), 58% males) were virgins. Virgins had higher odds of being male (aOR: 2.27 (95% CI: 1.62–3.17)) and reporting poorer health (1.43 (1.07–1.92)). They had lower odds of living on their own (0.24 (0.18–0.32)), being satisfied with their social life (0.78 (0.72–0.85)), having experimented with substances (e.g. drunkenness, 0.27 (0.19–0.67)) and having used online dating (0.52 (0.26–1.12)) or pornography (0.67 (0.42–0.94)). The main reason for remaining virgin was ‘I have not found the right person’ for females, and ‘I have not had the occasion’ for males. Conclusions: Among young adults, 1 in 20 is a virgin. Virgins do not seem to have gone through the usual experimentations of adolescence, are less socially driven and reported more health challenges. The main reason for remaining a virgin reveals gender-stereotyped responses. Sexual inactivity among young adults should be considered by health professionals to ensure the absence of distress and open discussion for potential questions.

Exploration of Emerging Adult Virgins’ Difficulties

“…Although the number of EAVs is increasing and some of them experience difficulties, this is the first study, to our knowledge, that specifically focused on their difficulties and disagreeable emotions. Although virginity can be considered as positive, especially when it is intentional ( Meuwly et al, 2021 ), our results illustrate that EAVs may face issues common among other sexual minorities, such as difficulties related to society (e.g., stigmatization) ( Herek, 2007 ; Meuwly et al, 2021 ) and disagreeable emotions (e.g., shame) ( Herek et al, 2009 ; Meuwly et al, 2021 ). Some difficulties are specific to late virginity, however, such as social acknowledgment and acceptance.…”

“…According to Twenge and Park’s (2019) national survey, this trend represents a slowed developmental pathway in which this generation is less quickly engaged in certain activities (e.g., sexual activities, drinking alcohol, and dating) than their predecessors. While an increasing proportion of emerging adults in the United States ( Twenge et al, 2017 ; Twenge & Park, 2019 ) and other western countries, such as Canada ( Lambert et al, 2017 ) and Switzerland ( Meuwly et al, 2021 ), report never having had sex, research on late sexual onset and emerging adult virgins (EAVs, specifically, heterosexual individuals aged 19 or over who have not had PVI) remains scarce ( Boislard et al, 2016 ; Fuller et al, 2019 ; Sprecher, 2021 ).…”

“…Virginity can be considered as a protection against negative outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections (STI) or unwanted pregnancies ( Meuwly et al, 2021 ), or it can be considered as a source of pride for some EAVs ( Carpenter, 2001 ). Virginity can also have positive outcomes, such as greater academic success, compared to their sexually active peers ( Rossi et al, 2017 ).…”