Sweet 16 and Never Been Kissed? Experiences from a Longitudinal Norwegian Study

Introduction Human sexuality is shaped by cultural context and historical period. In interaction with their culture and society, people learn and internalise sexuality's various expressions. Nordic sexual culture is different from that of the majority of other Western societies and cultures (Lewin et al., 2000; Kvalem & Tren, 2000). These differences in sexual culture are historically rooted, and connected to a well-integrated ideology about equality between individuals, and groups of individuals. Due to this historical development, there are probably less social restrictions upon adolescent sexuality, and in particular female sexuality, in the Nordic countries compared to other Western countries. Most adolescent boys and girls in Norway, as in the other Nordic countries have their first intercourse when they feel mature enough for sex (Tren & Kvalem, 1996a; Kvalem & Tren, 2000; Helmius, 2002). Feeling mature enough for sex is related to being in love, and having a committed relationship, which has lasted for some period of time, usually some months. Representative, national surveys on sexual behavior in Europe and the US carried out during the past 10-15 years show that there has been a change in the reporting of age at coital debut (Bozon & Kontula, 1998; Teitler, 2002; Kontula, 2003). This change in age at first coitus was first noticed in the Nordic countries, then in several of the Western and Central European countries, and a generation thereafter in Southern and Eastern Europe. A comparison of coital debut age based on self-reports among European men shows little variation from country to country, and over time. The situation among women is different. Since the 1960s the reporting of coital debut age among Western European and US women fell by two to three years (Teitler, 2002). This does not alter the fact that in the majority of European countries, and in the USA (Sugar, 1995), boys still report having their coital debut at an earlier age than girls. Young Finnish, Swedish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish and German girls on the other hand, have reported to experience coitus at an earlier age than boys (Schmidt, Klausman, Dekker & Matthiesen, 1998; Edgardh, Lewin & Nilsson, 1999; Bozon & Kontula, 1998; Helmius, 2000; Kontula, 2003; Pedersen, Samuelsen & Wickstrom, 2004). Kontula (2003) points out that from a gender perspective two clear-cut profiles stand out. One is the double standard in the South of Europe, and the second is the egalitarianism of the North and a handful of other countries. In the south of Europe, premarital female sexuality is subject to more restrictions and social control compared to the Nordic countries. Sexual experiences are collected step by step and the coitus is merely one of several experiences in this regard (Jakobsen, 1997; Edgardh et al, 1999; Schwartz, 1999; Gates & Sonenstein, 2000). In early childhood, children start masturbating (Sugar, 1995). Continuing their sexual exploration, children interact with other children and also engage in sexual games, such as playing "doctor" and "patient" (LeVay & Valent, 2003, p. 379). While playing these games, children can explore the body's secrets and start getting to know their own feeling of arousal and desire without the interference of adults. In their early teens, adolescents enter into couple relationships. In the Nordic context, society does not tolerate younger teenagers having extensive sexual experiences (Helmius, 2002). Sexual activity is more limited to non-coital activities such as kissing, touching of the body and genitals (Jakobsen, 1997; Pedersen & Samuelsen, 2003). Thus, one very important purpose of these early relationships is that the adolescents learn what it is like to be treated as part of a couple contrary to being single. Nordic sexual culture accepts that older teenagers have sexual intercourse and oral sex, provided they follow the love ideology and act responsibly and use contraception (Kvalem & Tren, 2000; Kvalem, 2002). …