Sexual experiences and their correlates among college students in Mumbai City, India

International Family Planning Perspectives, Sep 1999 by Abraham, Leena, Kumar, K Anil

Context: Isolated studies indicate that pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among unmarried teenagers in India. However, little research has focused on sexual behavior among unmarried young people, partly because of the assumption that it is governed by traditional norms.

Methods: Results of a 1997 survey conducted among 966 low-income college students in metropolitan Mumbai (Bombay) are examined to identify levels of sexual behavior. Multivariate analysis is used to determine correlates of that behavior.

Results: Some 47% of male participants and 13% of female respondents had had any sexual experience with a member of the opposite sex; 26% and 3%, respectively, had had intercourse. Individual-level characteristics such as age and personal income had modest effects on students' sexual behavior, and family-level variables had no significant effects. The strongest predictors of sexual behavior were students' knowledge about sexuality-related issues, attitudes toward sex, and levels of social interaction and exposure to erotic materials. However, the results differed for young men and women, and the effect of knowledge was inconsistent.

Conclusions: Traditional norms and the role of the family are losing their importance in governing young people's sexual behavior in India. School-based sexuality programs are needed that will provide students with accurate information about pregnancy, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. International Family Planning Perspectives,1999, 25(3):139-146 & 152

Increases in unintended teenage pregnancies, the spread of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and the imminent threat of an HIV epidemic in recent years have increased the significance of sexuality research in India. Yet, very few studies have examined sexuality and sexual behavior among unmarried youth in India, for a variety of reasons. Since premarital sex is traditionally taboo in India, it is widely believed that the rather rigid social norms governing premarital sex and marriage and the practice of sex segregation of young people prevent sexual behavior among them. It is also commonly assumed that family and educational institutions exercise greater control over the sexual behavior of unmarried youth in India than in the West.

For these reasons, and because young people traditionally have entered marriage before or on attainment of puberty, premarital sex has been rare in India. However, recent studies conducted in different parts of the country show that sexual behavior among unmarried adolescents is on the rise, especially in urban areas, where an estimated 20-25% of unmarried young males and 6-10% of unmarried young females have experienced premarital sex.1 Other studies indicate that while adolescents' attitudes toward premarital sex are becoming more liberal, their awareness of contraceptives remains poor.2

Studies on abortion and on the prevalence of STDs in India, though few, confirm that much premarital sex is unprotected. Adolescents constitute a sizable proportion of women seeking abortions (more than one-quarter at some sites), and the typical adolescent abortion seeker is unmarried; additionally, unmarried women tend to delay seeking abortion, often until the second trimester, which could result in serious health problems.*3 A study conducted among STD clinic patients in an urban center noted that about 75% of clients were 18-19 years of age.4

The few studies that have examined adolescent sexuality differ significantly from each other in their objectives, approaches and methodologies. Recent reviews of research on sexual behavior and adolescent sexuality6 have cautioned that these studies are limited and that their findings cannot be generalized, because they are based on very small samples or convenience samples, made up mainly of males. Furthermore, their focus has been primarily on the extent of sexual behavior among youth rather than on the correlates of that behavior.

In this article, we explore heterosexual behavior and its correlates among college students in the metropolitan city of Mumbai (Bombay).

Methodology

Data

The study is based on empirical data gathered from a representative sample of lowincome youth attending college in Mumbai. We focused on low-income students for several reasons. Existing studies are mainly of English-speaking students or those attending "elite" colleges, where the student body is predominantly middle-- or upper-class. We assumed that students from low-income families may live in more restrictive family environments and have fewer resources and opportunities to explore their sexuality than those from higher income groups. Furthermore, whereas some elite colleges have been organizing sexuality education programs for their students, such programs are rare, if not absent, in colleges whose students are largely from low-income families.

Data were collected in two phases. During 1996, we gathered qualitative information, using focus-group discussions and interviews to gain an overview of students' experiences, including their sexual experiences. We used this information in designing the second phase of the study, which consisted of a survey conducted during 1997. The findings discussed in this article are based primarily on the survey, although some findings from the focus groups and interviews are also included.