Why so many Jamaican teenagers are having sex? Why are so many Jamaican teenagers sexually active? I wish to thank my Social Studies teacher Mr. Reid for giving me the go ahead on this S. B. A. I also wish to thank my parents for providing me with the needed supplies to ensure that this Social Studies S. B. A would be completed.
Special thanks go to Samaya Johnson, Tajey Johnson and Javone Rowe, for keeping me up in the nights to complete this S. B. A.
What is the average age at which a teenager loses their virginity? Why are so many teenagers having sex? Are persons still following the marriage before sex tradition? How does the parent of a teenager react when they find out their child is pregnant? Why are so many teenagers sexually active?
Statement of the problem Teenagers having sex has changed the behavior of many teenagers. When one participates in sexual activities it shows that they are mature and ready to become parents or even may take the risk of contracting a STD; for contraceptives are not always available to underage children. In the community of Cross Roads, Jamaica it is very obvious that many teenagers are having sex and taking the risk of becoming pregnant every day. Instrument used The research instrument used to collect data was the questionnaire. The questionnaire was used because it was felt it allowed the respondent adequate time to respond.
It also allowed respondents to have a sense of privacy which it was hoped would encourage them to give honest answers. Please tick (v) the correct box: Age: ? 10-13 ? 14-16 ? 17-19 ? 20 . At what age did you lose your virginity? ? 10-12 ? 13-15 ? 16-18 ? 19-20 So you believe in marriage before sex? ? Yes ? No . Which of the birth control methods below are you mostly familiar with? ? Pills ? Condoms ? Injections ? IUD ? Rhythm ? Abstain Do your parents know that you are not a virgin? ? Yes ? No . Do you have more than one sexual partner? ? Yes ? No . Why are you having sex? To fit in with friends ? That’s the only time that you feel wanted ?
It was your decision . How would your parents react if you became pregnant as a teenager? Shameful ? Surprised ? Angry ? Happy * Are you concerned of how a person will think of you after you have sex with them? Yes ? No . Do you regret losing your virginity?
Which of the birth control method below are you most familiar with? The questionnaire was created by I Najee Davis. I decided to use mostly structured questions to ensure that specific data would be gathered. The questionnaire consists of 10 questions. Twenty copies were distributed at a random at the Kingston and St Andrew parish library. All the questionnaires I distributed were collected on the first attempt.
During the process of collecting data, I was faced with one major difficulty. I gave the questionnaire to teenagers from different community who were gathered at one common location. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Presentation of data Figure 1 is a pie chart showing the average age a teenager loses their virginity is between the ages 13 and 15 (55%), followed by 16-18 (35%) then by 10-12 (10%). Figure2 is a pie chart showing the why most teenagers are having sex. The main reason is to fit in with friends (50%), and then followed by it being their decision to have sex (40%) and then by it being the only way to feel wanted (10%).
Figure 3 the pie chart shows what percentage of the persons that had completed the questionnaire believe in marriage before sex with a larger amount saying no(70%) and (30%) saying yes. Figure 4 is a pie chart showing how a teenager thinks their parents would act if their child became pregnant or made someone pregnant with angry(40%) being the most common reaction and surprise and shameful being the same (30%). Analysis of data The data when analyzed revealed a number of expected responses and also that your peers influence you in many ways; one by just expecting you to have sex and you doing it to fit in with the crowd. Another interesting finding was that many now a day’s teenagers don’t believe in sex after marriage and also that thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen are very popular ages to lose ones virginity in Jamaica.
Finally the data showed that many teenagers expected their parents to be angry with them if they became pregnant or made someone pregnant at an early age and yet they still are having sex.
Conclusion
From the data that was collected the following can be reached. Many Jamaican teenagers are having sex. Most of the same teenagers who are having sex lost their virginity between ages 13 and 15. Many of the same teenagers do not believe in marriage before sex. Some teenagers do believe in marriage before sex and yet still they are still participating in sexual activities. Many teenagers are just having sex to fit in with their social group. Many teenagers who are sexually active are concerned about what the other person who they have sex with think about them. Justification of conclusion Sexual activity begins at an early age for many Jamaicans: Among young people aged 15-17 who were surveyed in the 1997 Reproductive Health Survey, 38% of females and 64% of males reported having had sexual intercourse. The younger adolescents are when they begin sexual activity, the less likely they are to practice contraception, thus increasing their risk of pregnancy. When choosing among responses to a closed-ended question, the adolescents who said they had experienced sexual intercourse indicated that curiosity and love were common motivations for having sex.
Among the boys and the few girls who reported sexual experience, about half (47% of boys and 51% of girls) said they had sex the first time to “see what it was like. ” “To show love” was the second most frequently cited reason for first sexual intercourse (data not shown). Having intercourse for the first time often signifies a passage into adulthood, and sex can be a way for an adolescent to assert that he or she is no longer a child. In the focus-group discussions, boys were particularly likely to view sexual initiation as an important sign of manhood. Some girls also viewed engaging in sexual intercourse as symbolic of adulthood and suggested that a teenage girl who becomes sexually active is no longer seen as a child.
Recommendations
Having made certain conclusion from the study, I offer some recommendations which would assist in connecting some of the problems. The lack of abstinence and early indulgence in sexual behavior is a serious problem, which may be solved by teaching of sex as early as possible. I would suggest that this be done from the primary school level. I would further suggest that parents spend more time in open discussions with their children and monitoring their activities, for examples, the type of television programms they view and the type of radio and cinema pictures they are allowed to watch. Finally, young people themselves must set goals and go after them and participate in healthy activities.
