Sexual attitudes and behaviors of school students in India - grades 6-12

Journal of Sex Research, Wntr, 1997 by Minakshi Tikoo

Of the nine girls who reported pregnancy, five were from Grade 7, one was from Grade 8, two were from Grade 9, and one was from Grade 12. There is a possibility that the students in Grades 7 and 8 were more likely to say yes to being pregnant, not because they were pregnant but because they do not understand the meaning of being pregnant Above all, being a yes person is more appreciated in the Indian culture. Of the sample, 2% (7) of the girls and 7% (24) of the boys reported having sex for money, 1% (4) of the girls and 3% (13) of the boys reported having sex for drugs, 2% (7) of the girls and 2% (9) of the boys reported using drugs, 98% (280) of the girls and 94% (334) of the boys reported never drinking alcohol, and 1% (3) of the girls and 3% (8) of the boys reported having sexual intercourse. As 47% (134) of the girls and 62% (219) of the boys reported that they would use a sexual health clinic at school, and also, as few are experimenting with risky behavior, it may be cost efficient and beneficial to reach these students through the school system as opposed to no sexuality education in the schools, which is the present mandate.

The following responses were obtained to the open-ended question, "What does sex mean to you?"

sex = boy love for girl (Class 7)

sex means mixed male gamete to

female gamete (Class 8)

before marriage a cheap thing

(Class 8)

physical contact between boy and

girl (Class 9)

I think sex is OK or we can say

good after marriage. It is a type of

exercise. You should have it after

your marriage. And, also it is a

method to produce baby and

continue your generation. (Class 10)

I'm at that age in which my

knowledge about sex is very poor

and it seems to be very bad and

embarrassing activity. (Class 11)

It is an intimate pleasure shared by

two individuals of opposite sex and

should be only done if the

relationship between the two

individuals is everlasting. (Class 12)

In response to the question asking if they wanted to share any general feelings about the survey, a majority of the students stated that they wanted more information about human sexuality and AIDS.

Gender Differences

Significant gender differences were found in the attitudes of boys and girls. Gender differences regarding attitudes toward human sexuality are summarized in Table 1. Girls disagreed significantly with the statement that girls want love more; disagreed with the statements that it is OK for a boyfriend and a girlfriend to have sex, that it is OK for good friends to have sex, that sex is OK before marriage, and that sex is OK if you plan to marry, agreed more with the statement that it is best to start receiving sex education at home from parents; and were more conservative in their attitudes toward premarital sex than were boys.

Table 1
Gender Differences in Attitudes
                                     Girls'           Boys'
Variable                              mean    SD      mean    SD

Boys like sex more                    2.14    0.78    2.00    0,77
Girls want love                       2.05    0.85    2.23    0.78
Homosexual relationships OK           1.70    0.73    1.82    0.75
Information about birth control
makes people sexually active          2.01    0.80    2.07    0.81
Birth control used often
if easier to get                      2.24    0.82    2.39    0.77
Sex is OK for boy- and girlfriends    1.34    0.58    1.85    0.86
Sex is OK for good friends            1.36    0.65    1.67    0.80
Sex is OK before marriage             1.44    0.74    1.68    0.84
Sex is OK if plan to marry            1.78    0.86    2,00    0.88
Sex is OK if married                  2.49    0.82    2.53    0.76
ATTSEX scale                          5.86    2.00    7.18    2.33
Sex education at home                 2.16    0.94    1.78    0.83
Sex education at school               2.09    0.89    2.26    0.84

                                      t

Boys like sex more                    NS
Girls want love                      -2.79
Homosexual relationships OK           NS
Information about birth control
makes people sexually active          NS
Birth control used often
if easier to get                      NS
Sex is OK for boy- and girlfriends   -8.46
Sex is OK for good friends           -5.30
Sex is OK before marriage            -3.78
Sex is OK if plan to marry           -3.11
Sex is OK if married                  NS
ATTSEX scale                         -7.21
Sex education at home                 5.75
Sex education at school               NS