Religiosity and the Pathway to an Ongoing Nonmarital Penile–Vaginal Sexual Relationship During the Transition to Adulthood

ABSTRACT Studies of religion and nonmarital sexual behavior often focus on the timing of sexual debut and the number of sexual partners during adolescence, limiting understanding of how religion shapes subsequent pathways into and through romantic and sexual relationships during the transition to adulthood. We adopt a multidimensional approach to both sexual behavior (nonmarital relationships, transition to first penile–vaginal sex within nonmarital relationships, and subsequent sexual frequency) and religiosity (public and private) using 2.5 years of weekly data on intimate relationships and penile–vaginal sex among 933 women aged 18–22. Religiously conservative respondents and frequent service attenders delayed sexual transitions and were more likely to be in committed relationships, and frequent attenders were also less likely to be in coresident relationships. Young women who believed in God were engaged more than their peers, and those who prayed alone had less frequent sex. Overall, public forms of religiosity (religious conservatism and service attendance) were more strongly associated with more publicly observable relationship processes, whereas private religiosity (frequent prayer) was more closely related to private sexual behavior. The association between religiosity and sexual behavior was partially explained by adolescent sexual experiences but remained associated with these behaviors net of those experiences.