Sex Education and Adolescent Sexual Behavior. Analysis of Historical and Contemporary Data

Research objectives and problems: The article focuses on the issue of students’ sexual activity. The aim is to describe the initiation of sexual intercourse by adolescents (people aged 19 and under). Two main research problems are posed: What changes in the issue of adolescent sexual initiation can be observed by comparing the results of survey data from the early 20th century with the results of surveys from the early 21st century? Do survey data on adolescent sexual initiation correlate with statistics from the Central Statistical Office on the number of teenage pregnancies? Research methods: The study is based on a comparative analysis of a wide range of scientific publications, reports and statistical data on adolescent sexual behavior over the years. Survey data from the late 19th century to the present are analyzed, which makes it possible to track long-term trends and identify significant changes in youth behavior. Structure of the article: Introduction Evolving Perceptions of Youth Sexuality Review of the Results of Survey Research on Adolescent Sexual Initiation (1898-2019) Age of sexual initiation From initiation to parenthood - teenage pregnancy statistics in light of CSO statistics Test results Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences: The results of the study show that since the beginning of the 20th century, there have been significant changes in the sexual initiation of adolescents. The age of sexual initiation for boys at the beginning of the 20th century was higher than at its end, and since the 1970s there has been a steady increase in the number of girls engaging in sexual intercourse before the age of majority. Despite the increase in sexual activity, the number of teenage pregnancies has been steadily decreasing since 2004, suggesting the positive impact of sexual education, greater awareness and responsibility regarding the consequences of sexual intercourse. The findings also indicate that socio-behavioral changes have a substantial impact on adolescent behavior, which should be taken into account when creating educational and health policies. Conclusions and/or recommendations: Further research is needed to more fully understand the impact of these changes and to develop effective strategies to protect young people from early motherhood and its health and social consequences.