In Japan, there are more and more young adults who have never had sex. Researchers from the University of Tokyo have conducted a detailed analysis of the evolution of Japanese sexual experiences over the past thirty years.
In recent years, several media have relayed information on the “late” virginity of the Japanese. Thus, in 2016, the Japanese National Institute of Population and Social Security revealed that 42% of men and 44% of women between the ages of 18 and 35 had never had sexual intercourse. A societal issue because the fertility rate is decreasing.
Researchers from theUniversity of Tokyo carried out an extensive analysis of the various national surveys on fertility and sexuality in order to better understand this phenomenon. “Previous reporting on virginity rates among young Japanese adults was a bit sensationalized, only included singles, and did not distinguish between different age groups,” says epidemiology expert Dr Peter Ueda. in public health and author of the study.
Increase in virginity rate in 30 years
By virginity, researchers mean the absence of heterosexual penetrative sex. Thus, in 1992, 21.7% of women aged between 18 and 39 were virgins. In 2015, they were 24.6%. Among men, the virginity rate rose from 20% to 25.8%. If we break down the age groups into smaller groups, we observe that the rate of virginity has increased considerably among people over the age of thirty.
Indeed, among 30-34 year olds in 1987, 6.2% of women said they were still virgins, against 8.8% of men. In 2015, 11.9% of women were still virgins, compared to 12.7% of men. Ditto for 35-39 year olds. In 1992, 4% of women and 5.5% of men said they had never had sexual intercourse. In 2015, the virginity rate rose from 8.9% for women and 9.5% for men.
Social class influences sexuality
To arrive at these results, the researchers analyzed data collected by the National Fertility Survey in Japan, conducted every five years by the Japanese National Institute of Population and Social Security. They worked on seven surveys carried out between 1987 and 2015. Each participant was between 18 and 39 years old.
The researchers found that men who lived in a city with more than one million people and had a full-time job were more likely to have ever had sex. Conversely, men with low incomes were 10 to 20 times more likely to be virgins. The trend is not the same, it seems, for women. They were indeed more likely to have had sexual intercourse when their income was lower. But that would be explained because married women can be housewives, and therefore have sex without having a salary.
Japan, champion of sexual inactivity?
More generally, Japanese adults have their first sexual intercourse later than in other countries. Studies in the United States and Australia have shown that 1-5% of 30-year-old adults are virgins. “Sexual inactivity or inexperience, whether intentional or not, should not be exoticized, ridiculed, or necessarily considered a concern for everyone. More research is needed on the causes of sexual inactivity and the how relationships are changing with online dating, changing expectations for romantic and sexual relationships, changing values, lifestyles, and the changing world of work,” Ueda said.
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