Unmarried Women Prefers Safe Sex More Than Men, NFHS-5 Survey 

More unmarried women prefer safe sex than men, reflects the recent National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021). NFHS-5 studied over 6 lakh households in 707 districts. The survey studied condom practices among unmarried men and women.

Women looked out for safe sex compared to single men in all age brackets. Only 57% of men used condoms, compared to 61.2 % of women, in the 15-19 years age bracket. The usage of condoms in the age group of 20-24 years took a little hike. 64 % of single men practiced safe sex, and 65.3% of women used condoms. 

The study showed that 1.3 % of single girls in the age group of 15-19 had sex in the last 12 months preceding the survey, compared to 4.4 % of men. Among teenage boys, sexual activities are more prevalent compared to girls. 2.9% of adolescent boys were sexually active compared to 0.9% of girls. 1.9% of single women in the age group of 18-19 years had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months. Men stood at 6.6% in the same age group. The unmarried women in the age group of 20-24 stood at 1.9% compared to 11.8% of single men who had sex. Women and men in the age group of 20-22 stood at 1.9% and 10.9 % respectively. 

Interestingly, women from rural India had more sexual encounters (1.5%) compared to urban women (1.4%). Men had a similar pattern 7.5 % of single men in rural areas had sex, whereas 7.3% of men in urban pockets. 10.7 % of single men had sex during their stay away from home, and 3.4 % of unmarried women. 

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The NFHS-5 also showed more women were virgins compared to men in the age group of 15-24 years in India. Over 97% of single girls in the age group of 15-19 were virgins, as compared to single boys. The 93.8% of boys in the age group of 15-19 were virgins compared to 96% of boys in the age group of 15-17 years. Over 95% of women in the age group of 20-24 were virgins and men at 80%.

To conclude, Teenage boys, are sexually more active as compared to girls. Women prefer safe sex compared to single men in all age brackets. Women living in rural India have more sexual life than urban women. It is noteworthy that 95% of women from 23-24 years had sex compared to 77% of men.