The Beginning of Sexual Life in Mexico. A study of the Changes over Time and Social Differences

Abstract

In this article, we present the results of a study on the beginning of sexual life in Mexico in order to detect possible changes in its calendar and, in the circumstances in which it takes place, identify different patterns of occurrence by cohorts and account for sociodemographic factors that may be predictors of this experience. Using data from the Retrospective Demographic Survey (EDER) 2017, we conducted various statistical techniques that confirm that in the younger cohorts there is a slight advance in the age of sexual initiation. We observe notable differences in the circumstances in which men and women experience this transition considering the type of place of residence and the social stratum of origin. We also detect that a double standard of sexual initiation marked by gender continues to be applied in Mexico. Finally, we find that living in the parents’ home is a protective factor for men and women, while school attendance is so for the female case. Instead, leaving school, working and being married are strong predictors of risk of sexual initiation.