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Next time you encounter the infamous BC look-away, consider this: sociologists have proven that college students of the 21st century are not having any more sex than their 90s counterparts. What parents, students, and general society have assumed of this generation’s promiscuity is simply not based in evidence.
A sociology professor at the University of Portland, Martin A. Monto, used national survey data to compare the frequency of sexual encounters between college students in the years of 1988-1996 and 2002-2010. The result? Less sex was actually being had at universities in the more recent years.
Empirical proof exists that students these days are spending more time in bed alone than the expectation of the “hookup culture” implies. According to the data, 59.3% of students in the 2000s sample set reported having sex weekly or more often while 65.2% said the same in the older group.
Expectation.
Reality.
What is even more amazing is that students of this century are not even having sex with more partners than their predecessors. While 51.7% of 90s students had more than two sexual partners since turning 18, an almost equivalent 50.5% of recent students said the same.
One telling statistic is that students in the “hookup era” of the early 2000s were less likely to report having a regular sexual partner in the past year. Only 77.1% of the post-millennial students reported having a regular partner in the past year while 84.5% of their predecessors reported the same.
Instead, students in the latter sample reported having sex more regularly with friends or with casual dates. Apparently the movies have been lying: Friends with benefits are not only possible, but in style.
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School, major and year: A&S ‘14, Political Science
HometownWestfield, NJ
What makes the Gavel so BANGin’? Awesome people, great content.
You have 24 hours to give prospective students a tour of BC and convince them to enroll. How do you spend the day? Hockey game, tour of campus, meal at Hillside, read The Gavel
If you could go back in time and give yourself a pep talk the night before you moved into BC as a freshman, what is the most important piece of advice that you would give to your former self?No worries, it all works out.
What is your favorite study spot on campus? Out of sheer laziness, my room.
What is your go-to meal at Late Night? Haven’t had a meal plan in a tragically long time.
What is the #1 most played song on your iTunes? "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys
What is the best Halloween costume that you have ever worn? Sarah Palin, Halloween 2008
If you could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Chili’s, although I’d probably die of high blood pressure within a matter of days.
If you could befriend the main characters from any TV show or movie, who would you choose and why? Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy from "30 Rock," because, duh.
