Premarital Sex: A Comprehensive Analysis of Abstinence and Engagement

This research paper investigates the contentious topic of premarital sex, examining whether individuals should abstain or engage in it. The study employs a secondary research approach, reviewing literature on religious and moral viewpoints, individual perspectives, and health impacts. The paper explores the historical and cultural shifts in attitudes towards premarital sex, from its traditional condemnation to its increasing acceptance in Western societies. It analyzes the influence of religious doctrines, such as biblical laws, on shaping moral views and behaviors. The research further investigates the individual perspectives of adolescents and young adults, considering factors like education, socioeconomic status, and the role of social media. The paper also addresses the potential health consequences of premarital sex, including sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, particularly in the context of different cultural norms. The conclusion synthesizes the key findings, offering a comprehensive overview of the arguments and complexities surrounding the decision to engage in or abstain from premarital sex.

Running head: RESEARCH PAPER
Premarital Sex......Should one refrain or engage?
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive summary
Premarital sex encompasses the act when two people, who are not in any nuptial association,
engage in sexual behavior. Though it was considered sinful and offensive in previous era, recent
advancements in the culture and society has made several adolescents and youth to engage in
premarital sex. This research paper was based on a secondary research and discussed if one
should participate or abstain from premarital sex.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Literature review..............................................................................................................................3
Search strategy.............................................................................................................................3
Religious and moral views...........................................................................................................4
Perspectives of individuals..........................................................................................................5
Impact on health..........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Premarital sex refers to the sexual activity that is typically practiced by individuals before
they get married. Traditionally, premarital sex was regarded as a moral issue, and was also
considered as a taboo in different cultures, apart from being regarded as a sin by countless
religions (Murdock, 2017). However, during the late 60s, it gained widespread attention and was
eventually accepted in the Western Nations (Kulpa, 2016). In addition, there was no
consideration that an individual who had sexual encounter would not get married. The term
premarital sex was used in place of fornication, which typically refers to a consensual sexual
relationship between two individuals, who are not married to one another. This can be accredited
to the fact that the term fornication was associated with negative connotations, and there was a
correlation between this notion and virginity approval, which refers to abstinence from sexual
relationships until the act of marriage (O’Neill, 2018). The meaning of the term premarital sex
has shifted and now encompasses any kind of sexual relationship an individual engages in, prior
to marriage, eliminating the emphasis that was initially placed on the association between the
two involved people, thus adding to its ambiguity. This research paper will explore whether an
individual should abstain from or engage in premarital sex.
Literature review
Search strategy
With the aim of drawing definite answers to the thesis statement discuss above, a
literature review was conducted in order to summarise scholarly evidences based on the
phenomenon that is currently under investigation. Particular search terms such as premarital sex,

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fornication, perspectives, refrain, abstain, participation and engagement were combined using
boolean operators ‘AND’ and ‘OR’, following which they were entered in the search engine of
Google scholar (Eriksen & Frandsen, 2018). Articles that were peer reviewed, published in
English language, on or after 2016 were considered eligible for this research paper. Both primary
and secondary articles were considered relevant to the research phenomenon (McGowan et al.,
2016).
Religious and moral views
According to the views of Lim (2019) it is a widely accepted notion that the biblical law
and its old society did consider premarital sex to be an act of severe offence. This can be
accredited to the law of the slandered bride (Deut 22:13-22) that placed an emphasis on
determining that if any bride was found to be a non-virgin on the night of her wedding, she
would be killed. This law has therefore been widely used during the past years by researchers
who provide an explanation for the sins committed by a woman in different manners. The
researcher was accurate in stating that the Bible continues to be pervasive in the contemporary
society and in Deuteronomy 22.13-19, it elaborates on case involving a slandered bride, who had
been accused by her husband of premarital inchastity. It also mentions that the bride along with
her family members are often expected to present stained bed sheets, in the form of a proof for
the innocence of the bride. Presence of this evidence resulted in conviction of the men for
defamation, following which he was given a triple punishment encompassing financial, corporal,
and elimination of his patriarchal authority. Therefore, it can be stated that in several nations and
communities that strictly abide by the biblical law, a woman is expected to refrain from engaging
in premarital sex.

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As claimed by Teo and Simon (2019) premarital sex is quite prevalent
amongst adolescence and youth in different schools and universities. The researchers elaborated
on the presence of different methods like seminars, rules, guidelines, or sex prevention programs,
with the aim of preventing their students from being engaged in any such actions. However,
there are very less educational institutions that utilise moral development activities, based on
relation, in order to avert engagement of young people in premarital sex. With the aim of
investigating the association between religious moral development on the approaches and
perceptions among students regarding premarital sex, in a religious place, the researchers carried
out a non-experimental quantitative and descriptive study. Upon conducting a statistical analysis
of survey responses obtained from students, it was found that majority of the university students
were against engagement in premarital sex. Participation of the students in moral developmental
activities inculcated in them the principle of not engaging in premarital sex. Their responses also
suggested that the internet played an important role in modifying their perceptions or outlook
towards the phenomenon. Additionally, TV viewing was another significant factor that governed
their perception. It was found that there existed a correlation between perceptions regarding
premarital sex and moral development activities, however it was non-significant (r=.03). The
researchers were correct in stating that the students must be allowed to engage in discussion
sessions, in order to help them gain a sound understanding of the worth and value of sex, which
in turn might play an important role in altering their views and opinion.
Perspectives of individuals
The findings presented by Majumdar (2018) elaborated on the fact that all kinds of
societies undergo significant changes over time. With an improvement in the financial conditions
and prosperity, there occurs a change in the values of the society, and gradually the traditional

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values and age old notions of a civilization are replaced by modernity. The researcher tried to
evaluate the world value survey, by investigating the perception and approaches of Indian
respondents towards their participation in premarital sex. It was found that the study respondents
who had low educational attainment or belongs to high socioeconomic status in the society were
more permissive regarding the topic of premarital sex. This is in contrast to the fact that single,
religious minded and left-leaning study participants reported a more traditional perspective. This
helped the researcher accurately conclude that with an augmentation in permissiveness of the
society towards premarital sex, and the probability of engaging in risky and unprotected sexual
behaviour, it is essential for the government to adopt suitable policies, in order to
prevent sexually transmitted infections.
According to Gyan (2018) premarital childbearing and engagement in sexual behaviour
has been identified as a major source of discrimination and stigma in numerous African
communities, which in turn create a negative impact on the reproductive and sexual health
experiences of adolescent girls. The researcher conducted a mixed method study amongst 500
girls and found that in order to avoid stigma and discrimination related to premarital sex, some of
the non-pregnant girls abstain from engaging in the act, and other girls who were sexually active
either tried to keep their relationships with their partner undisclosed, or also engaged in the
furtive use of contraceptives. In contrast, some of the girls who had ever been pregnant tried to
decrease and eliminate this stigma related to premarital childbearing, by returning to their school,
following birth of the child, or engaging in vocational courses or learning a particular trade.
Several ever-pregnant girls also reported about getting married to the father of the children, to
prevent discrimination against them. Therefore, the researcher stated that be desire to be
accepted in the community often forces the adolescent girls to implement strategies that help

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them evade the prejudice and stigma related to premarital sex, hence calling for the need of
developing awareness amongst community members, in order to provide social support to the
girls and minimise their health risks.
This was affirmed by findings published by Shrestha (2019) that recognised that not less
than two thirds of young individuals residing in developed countries engage in sexual
intercourse, during teenage years. The adolescents and youth were identified to be a vulnerable
population, who demonstrated premarital sexual behaviour. With the aim of assessing different
factors that create an impact on premarital sex behaviour, in the vulnerable population, and the
effect it creates on health, the researcher conducted a review of secondary published
information. It was found that premarital sex affects development in the cognitive, social,
physical, and emotional aspects of adolescents, particularly those aged 10-19 years. The
engagement of such individuals in premarital sex is often governed by a plethora of factors such
as, the relationship with their parents, societal environment, family environment, traditional and
cultural rules and values, financial condition, peer association, communication through internet,
mobile, and love relationships. Some of the negative impacts of premarital sex that were most
common in the target population were teenage pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, substance abuse,
suicide, loss of self-respect, regret, guilt, loss of family support, depression, and even the onset
of HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Impact on health
It has been confirmed by Khalajabadi-Farahani, Månsson and Cleland (2019) who
identified the historical dominance of a sexually conservative culture that Iran strictly prohibits
premarital sex. The researchers precisely stated that sexual messages in the nation are
predominantly prohibitive and indirect, and the youth and adolescents receive a plethora of

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implicit messages against the concept, through parents, media, relation, and the
law. Furthermore, the messages are found to be more restrictive for females, in comparison to
their male counterparts. Despite the occurrence of structural changes in the nation, such as,
enhanced education programs for females, urbanisation, international media availability, and
increased social participation and communication between males and females, there still exists
some discrimination and stigma. The researchers investigated the factors considered by young
educated Iranian females while deciding about their participation in premarital sex. On
conducting in-depth interviews among female college students, it was found that consideration of
premarital sex among young women comprised of namely, motivation and marriage
meaning, compliance to the expectations and values of the family, perceived social and gender
norms related to premarital sex, self-efficacy and sexual knowledge, and the significance of
religiosity. It was found that motivation and the meaning of marriage ingrained in the society
acted as the main pillar that directed the females, while taking the complex decision of whether
refraining or engaging in premarital sex. In addition, the willingness of the women to get married
to their partners was also cited as a motivation for engaging in premarital romantic relationships.
Findings from a similar qualitative study that has also been conducted in the Iranian
context suggested that there are particular beliefs that play an essential role, while motivating
young females to participate in premarital sexual behaviours. The study was based on the
premise that engagement in risky sexual behaviour increases the likelihood of suffering from
unintended pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections. Premarital sex is not often regarded as
a risky behaviour, however, taking into consideration the Iranian context it is not socially or
religiously acceptable. The researchers tried to determine the perspective ad viewpoints of single
women, who were sexually active about their premarital sexual relationships, and subjected them

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to individual interviews and focus group discussions (Rahmani et al., 2016). An analysis of their
responses resulted in the development of eight themes that were namely, sexual activity acting as
a guarantee for retaining their partners in the association, accepting sexual contact in relation to
opposite sex associations, premarital relationship being considered as a personal right that is
undeniable, premarital sexual association that eventually turns into a successful marriage,
consideration of virginity as an outdated phenomenon, goal oriented association that acts in the
form of a licence for such behaviour, presence of love that sanctions premarital sex, and
engagement in premarital sexual relationships with the aim of obtaining perfection.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that even in the contemporary society, premarital sex is
associated with discrimination and stigma in several communities. While the biblical principles
oppose premarital sex and consider it sinful, youth and adolescents belonging to different
communities are continuously subjected to prejudice and discriminatory behaviour, if they ever
engage in such actions. However, risky sexual behaviour like recurrent premarital sex often
takes a toll on the physical health of the participants, particularly the female. Not only does it
lead to unwanted pregnancies, abortions and an incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, but
also makes the affected individual susceptible to engage in substance abuse, or display suicidal
ideations. It also affects them emotionally by increasing the likelihood of suffering from
depression or other mental disorder. This can be attributed to little or no sexual knowledge
among the youth and adolescents. Therefore, though it is the prerogative of a particular person to
engage in premarital sex, poor sexual knowledge and repeated engagement in risky sexual
behaviour would affect the physical and emotional well-being. Consequently, prior to engaging

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or refraining from premarital sex, a person should take into consideration all the influencing
factors, and the impact that it would create on their health.
References
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outcome (PICO) as a search strategy tool on literature search quality: a systematic
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Gyan, S. E. (2018). Passing as “Normal”: Adolescent Girls’ Strategies for Escaping Stigma of
Premarital Sex and Childbearing in Ghana. Sage Open, 8(3), 2158244018801421.
Khalajabadi-Farahani, F., Månsson, S. A., & Cleland, J. (2019). Engage In or Refrain From? A
Qualitative Exploration of Premarital Sexual Relations Among Female College Students
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