Adolescent Virginity Pledges in the United States

This paper presents a brief history of teen-focused abstinence groups and virginity pledge traditions. It then examines the various meanings virginity pledges have for the adolescents who take them. Much of this information is drawn from abstinence groups’ websites, as well as from personal interviews conducted by sociologists studying virginity loss. Several reasons for taking a virginity pledge were identified. Many of these reasons referenced Christianity. More specifically, pledge-taking was viewed as an act of worship, as a way to adhere to Biblical directives and as a way to honor God’s gift of virginity. Familial reasons were also given as a rationale for taking a virginity pledge. Pledgers referenced their parents’ beliefs regarding abstinence, as well as a desire to avoid emotional pain family members had endured as a result of having premarital sex. Pledgers also maintained virginity as a way to ensure positive romantic relationships in the future, with many desiring to give their virginity as a gift to their spouse. Finally, pledgers mentioned health-related reasons for maintaining virginity, particularly the desire to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Virginity, or abstinence, pledges taken by adolescents in the United States come in various forms and contain a plethora of meanings. Most simply, a pledge is a written statement of intent that stipulates that the signatory will not have sex prior to marriage. However, it is also common for these pledges to be publically announced in front of family, peers and religious leaders (Burke 2007). Most of the scholarly research on this topic evaluates the effectiveness pledges have on premarital virginity maintenance (e.g. Bearman and Brückner 2001). Significantly less research has been completed that employs qualitative methods to examine why adolescents take the pledge, what the pledge means to them and how it impacts their lives. There are a few scholars who have endeavored to answer these questions, however. Typically these researchers utilize semi-structured interviews with pledge-takers. Theses have proven to be a fertile source of qualitative research. Therefore, three theses and two books, as well as primary, web-based resources from pledge organizations will be examined in order to understand the meaning behind virginity pledges why adolescents decide to take them. A documentary, as well as newspaper articles will further supplement scholarly findings. In order to analyze the meanings behind virginity pledges, it is necessary to first examine their history, as well as investigate who promotes them, their prevalence and what types of adolescents make pledges. This information will better define the topic and serve as necessary background information for understanding the meanings imbued within a pledge. Pledges are a relatively recent phenomenon. They grew out of the Christian Sex Education Project and the Southern Baptist Church in the early 1990s (Wright 2011). Two Baptist ministers, Jimmy Hester and Richard Ross, sought to make virginity visible and acceptable for the adolescents in their congregations and thus expanded their previous programs to create True Love Waits (TLW). Currently the largest organization of its ilk, TLW started as a grassroots movement among evangelical Christians, particularly Baptists and Protestants (Wright 2011). Wright (2011) and Reimer (2012) argue that the organization formed in response to the sexual revolution of the 1960s that, among other things, made premarital sex the norm, as well as sexualized American culture. Just six months after its founding in January 1993, True Love Waits had accrued 100,000 signed virginity pledges (LifeWay 2012). By 2001, 2.5 million adolescents had signed pledges (Bearman and Brückner 2001).