PREMARITAL SEXUAL INVOLVEMENT OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OSOGBO, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA
1*Fawole, Olufemi Adeniyi, 2Ogunkan, David Victor,3Awoniyi, Daniel Olusegun and 4Oche, Onyeche Lucy
1Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
2Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
3Great Fountain of Life College, Lafe, Akure, Nigeria
4Government Girls College, Birnin-Kebbi, Birnin-Kebbi, Nigeria
email: femifawole.2010@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Sexual promiscuity among adolescents is reaching an alarming height, despite consistent and widespread propaganda on HIV/AIDS menace and other sexually transmitted diseases. This study investigated incidence of sexual activity among females in secondary schools in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to examine the incidence of premarital sex, factors that predispose the adolescent female to the behaviour and their awareness of consequences of premarital sex. The study was carried out with the use of a questionnaire in sampling 500 female students from 8 different schools in Osogbo. The data revealed that majority of the adolescents had engaged in premarital sex. It also showed that romantic love was the major predisposing factor in engaging in premarital sex. Unwanted pregnancy was the most widely known consequences of premarital sex. The study recommended that parents and educationists should be stronger role models for the children, sex education should be added to the school’s curriculum and that awareness of the consequence of premarital sex should be intensified, with particular emphasis on pregnancy and STDs.
Key words: Courtship, dating, parental monitoring, risk factors, STDs