Abstract

PIP: A ramdom sample of 49 seniors at an Eastern women's college is used as the basis for a study on the sexual behavior of college women. The women, who were primarily from the upper middle classes, were interviewed several times a year beginning in their freshman year. Sexual behavior was placed into 5 catagories: limited experience, restricted petting, extensive petting, intercourse confined to serious relationships, and uninhibited behavior. Only 6% exhibited unhibited behavior. 16% had had intercourse with 1 or 2 men with whom they had ha d serious relationships. 41% indulged in extensive petting; 27% in restricted petting; and 10% had had limited experience, which is described as simply kissing. Most of the subjects were content with their status quo. Many experienced a liberalization of their attitudes toward sexual behavior for others during the 4-year college experience, but not for themselves. Reasons for remaining a virgin were practical. There was a singular lack of abstract moral or ethical considerations. The only personality scale that related significantly to the catagories for both freshmen and seniors was the Impulse Expression scale--at the .01 level for freshmen and the .05 level for seniors. The data presented are consistent with those of other studies which report the incidence of nonvirginity among college women to be 25% or lower. The incidence of nonvirginity has changed little since the 1930s. However, the incidence of female homosexuality among college women has decreased sharply since the 1920s. It is concluded that American college students may have evolved patterns of sexual behavior that will remain stable. This behavior consists of petting, intercourse among some engaged couples, and early marriage.