Quarter of young women say they've had underage sex
By Jessica Laurence, Dec 15, 2011
PA New research has found that 27% of young women have had sex before they reached the legal age of consent.
The Health Survey for England 2010 data showed the number of young women who had underage sex is double the 14% of women aged 35-44 who had sex under 16.
Just 4% of women aged between 55-69 said they had had underage sex.
The research, which was published by the NHS Information Centre, also showed that a tenth of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 had 10 or more sexual partners.
Almost half of younger women (44%) had been tested for the STD chlamydia, in comparison to just 12% of women aged 45-54.
The figures also showed that over a quarter (26%) of women and nearly a third of men (32%) aged 16-24 were virgins.
Shadow health minister Diane Abbott said: "The rising numbers of girls having underage sex is alarming. It is not a cost-free phenomenon. It poses public health policy challenges and social challenges."
"The underlying cause must be the 'pornification' of the culture and the increasing sexualisation of pre-adolescent girls. Too many young girls are absorbing from the popular culture around them that they only have value as sex objects. Inevitably they act this notion out."
"[The] government needs to respond to spiralling underage sex, not with pointless schemes to teach abstinence, but with better PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) teaching in schools for both girls and boys."
Is the "pornification" of culture really influencing young people to have sex at a younger age? Let us know below...