The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:25 PM
CDC Survey: Rural Women Having Sex Earlier Than Those Living In Urban Areas
New data from the National Survey of Family Growth found 51 percent of women living in rural areas had their first sexual intercourse by age 16, compared to 41 percent of those in urban areas.
Those percentages rose to 80 percent of rural women and 69 percent of urban women losing their virginity by age 18.
The mean age of first sexual intercourse was 16.6 years among women in rural areas compared to 17.4 years among women in urban areas.
Both groups practice contraception differently, too.
When it comes to safe sex, 41 percent of rural women are using more effective methods such as intrauterine devices, while only 30 percent of urban dwellers are using those devices.
Despite the fact that a higher number of rural women turn to more effective forms of contraception, birth rates are higher in the countryside, the study said.
