ADOLESCENTS’ SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS: BOY/GIRLFRIENDS, EX’S, FRIENDS, and OTHERS

The majority of teenagers report having sex during their high school years and the bulk of the literature emphasizes the timing of first sexual experience and contraceptive use. Remarkably little attention has been paid to the relationship context of sexual activity. We draw on data derived from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS). These data are unique and include both survey data from 1,316 7th, 9th, and 11th graders in Toledo, Ohio and in-depth interviews from 100 survey respondents. Adolescents have traditional norms about the relationship context for sexual activity. Yet over half of sexually active teens have had sex outside of dating relationships. These sexual partners are typically friends they have known for a long time or ex-boyfriends or exgirlfriends. As a result, the age asymmetry is greater among dating than non-dating sexual partners. Contrary to public belief, teens with non-dating sexual partners sometimes desire more traditional relationships and report that sex made them feel closer to their sexual partner. However, greater percentages of dating partners feel close after having sex than non-dating sexual partners. Also, dating sexual partnerships are more public than non-dating sexual relationships. Both dating and non-dating sexual relationships lack exclusivity, approximately half are seeing someone else. Adolescent sexual relationships are complex and a simple dating vs. non-dating (or casual vs. main) dichotomy does not appear to reflect adolescents’ interpretations of their relationships. We find considerable overlap in these two types of sexual relationships.