Entering adulthood: attitudes of adolescent boys regarding virginity, premarital sex and sexually transmitted diseases in Indonesia

Augustina Situmorang, National University of Singapore

This paper focuses on perspectives of adolescents boys related to virginity, premarital sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). A survey of 875 unmarried adolescents (male and females) aged 15-24 were conducted in Medan. The respondents came from various ethnic and social groups including students and non students. Information through in-depth interviews and focus groups discussion were also collected. Results indicate that virginity is important for girls but not for boys. Many boys believe that for the benefits of their future wives, men should have sexual experiences before marriage. Most of them engage in risky sexual activities such as had sex with prostitute with no protection. Misunderstandings regarding STDs are evident. The most common errors are the belief that STDs and AIDS can be avoided by maintaining physical stamina, and the belief that someone who is ‘clean’ and comes from better off family cannot possibly be infected with STDs and HIV.