Differences In attitudes towards premarital sex: the impact of demographic and socio-economic factors among youth in Shiraz City

Farah Asna-Ashari, Shiraz University

In Iran, strong social, cultural and religious norms, which limit sexual behavior to marriage, have come under a strain. Higher age at marriage, more contact with the opposite sex in the community, greater exposure to the worldwide ideas about sex, etc. have influenced the youth's attitudes towards this issue. This study explores the unmarried youth's attitudes towards premarital sex in Shiraz. A sample of Shirazian youths will be chosen through simple multi-stage random sampling. The differences in attitudes will be studied by considering age, sex, education, socio-economic status of the family and being exposed to new world ideas. It seems while dating and premarital relationship is approved by the youth, traditional norms toward premarital sex are still severe and rigid in Iran, especially for the girls.