Teen Sexual Health

Overview

Trends Uncovered Through Mapping

Patterns Across Grades
Trends Across Sex: Young Women
Trends Across Sex: Young Men

Patterns Across Grades

As youth moved through grades 8 to 10, their understanding of sexuality became more concrete. They increasingly focused on the emotional context in which sex happens and on building relationships, and not just on sexual activities. As well, they became increasingly aware of sexual health issues and prevention of STIs, HIV, and unintended pregnancy. This was true for both young men and young women, although women tended to mention relationship concerns more.
Youth in the lower grades were more likely to link sexuality to gender stereotypes than were older youth. They used words such as "slut," "whore," "ho," etc. to describe women more often than did youth in Grade 10. On the whole, there were fewer references to male stereotypes. When stereotypes did appear, they were often the more socially positive "pimps" or "players."
There was more awareness of the male body and sexual activities in which the male received pleasure than on the female body and those activities in which the female received pleasure.
As youth aged, both sexes increasingly focused more on themselves when making decisions. In earlier grades, young women were more likely to be aware of their beliefs while young men were more likely to be aware of their potential partner's characteristics.
Across all grades, teens were most likely to focus on heterosexual relationships. When they did mention homosexuality, it was either in the context of it being perceived as bad or boys perceiving lesbians as erotic.
All grades are aware that the media portrayed sex as cool, without mentioning possible consequences such as STIs. This is especially important because the youth indicated that the media tended to be the strongest influence in their lives. Media repetition of these potentially harmful messages caused youth to perceive the messages as true.
The differences between the outside world's messages about sexuality and what youth wanted for themselves created negative emotions and confusing thoughts for youth of either sex in any grade.
Across both sexes and all grades, friends seemed to have a stronger influence than family.
For both sexes and all grades, decision-making was influenced most by social acceptance of partners and peers.
Friends and family were the most popular sources of support for making decisions that fit with what teens wanted for themselves.

Trends Across Sex: Young Women:

Young women tended to link sexuality with emotions, both negative and positive. The older they were, the more likely they were to list more positive emotions than negative.
Young women were able to articulate their values and beliefs more easily than were young men. Their locus of decision-making was more about what was right for them.
Young women tended to speak about being "ready" or being comfortable with their decisions. They were more likely to be able to articulate what being "ready" meant. They were more likely to link sex to relationships and emotional caring.
The messages young women receive from the outside world were mainly connected to their social status and ability to attract male partners. Young women were aware that being sexual was needed to attract and keep a partner, while sexually active women ran the risk of being labeled a slut. This presented a double bind: being a virgin isn't cool, but you may be labeled as a slut if you have sex.
Young women were also acutely aware of external messages about how their bodies should look.
Young women were more influenced by messages from movies, TV, music, the internet, and the fashion industry

Trends Across Sex: Young Men:

Young men tended to feel an urgency to be sexually active, the sooner and the more often the better. Sexual activity was seen as mainly positive.
The emotions linked to sex were more about the experience of pleasure than about emotional caring. The focus shifted more to relationships as young men aged.
Young men seemed to find it difficult to articulate their values and beliefs. Their locus of decision-making was more about what physical qualities they wanted in a partner rather than about emotional and relational qualities. As young men aged, the focus shifted from primarily physical qualities to include more qualities pertaining to personality.
In the earlier grades, boys were more likely to use derogatory words to describe women than were girls. Older boys did not use derogatory words as often as younger boys.
Young men seemed to focus more on their partner's sexual health than their own, wanting their partner to be "clean" or free of STIs. There appeared to be a perception of younger girls being "cleaner". This was likely linked to the "slut," "whore," etc. stereotype.
Issues around consent, sexual assault, and the perception of males as aggressors was very strong in the minds of older boys.
Young men were more likely to focus on sexual activities and to list a wider range of activities than were young women. The messages that young men received from the outside world were most likely to be about sexual behaviour.
Young men were more likely to focus on external messages about women's bodies rather than about their own bodies.
Young men were influenced by the internet (especially pop-ups and junk mail), movies, TV, and pornography.

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