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Changes in the Timing of Sexual Initiation Among Young Muslim and Christian Women in Nigeria

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Abstract

Sexual initiation during adolescence has important demographic and health consequences for a population, yet no systematic analysis of changes in the timing of sexual initiation has been conducted in Nigeria. Two rounds of national surveys conducted in 1990 and 2003 were used to examine changes in the timing of sexual initiation among female adolescents in Nigeria. Multivariate survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards models was used to assess changes in the risk of sexual initiation and to identify the correlates of first sex. Contrary to what has been reported in several Nigerian studies, there was no decline in age at first sex among Christian adolescents. Age at first sex did not change significantly for Christian adolescents, although premarital sex appears to have increased–primarily due to an increase in the age at marriage. Age at first sex did increase among Muslim women. Premarital sex remained low among Muslim women. A number of socioeconomic variables were associated with the timing of sexual initiation. Weekly exposure to the mass media was associated with earlier sexual initiation. The degree to which an environment was liberal or restrictive was a key determinant of the timing of sexual initiation in Nigeria. The findings also illustrate the important role of socioeconomic factors in determining the timing of sexual initiation in Nigeria. As secondary education increases in Northern Nigeria, additional increases in the age at sexual debut are likely among Muslim women. The study raises concerns about the influence of the mass media on the timing of first sex in Nigeria. The evidence of an absence of changes in the timing of sexual initiation among Christian women in more than a decade implies that programs which aim to delay the timing of sexual initiation in Southern Nigeria may have limited success. With age at marriage already high among Christian women, programs that focus on abstinence until marriage may also be pursuing an approach with limited chances of success.

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Notes

  1. Sharia, or “the path to a watering hole,” offers guidelines for everyday life, including prayers and donations to the poor. Sharia prescribes modesty in dress and behavior for both men and women and has been interpreted to insist on single-sex schools and transportation. Several factors determine the underpinnings of Islamic law. The Koran (the Islamic holy text), the Sunna (the prophet Muhammed’s teachings), and Muslim scholars’ legal rulings all contribute to the collective body of laws known as Sharia. The laws contain violations known as “Hadd” offenses, which include sexual intercourse outside of marriage, alcohol consumption, highway robbery, theft, and murder. With the proper evidence, sexual offenses can carry a sentence of stoning to death or flogging. Theft can be punished by the loss of a hand. In Northern Nigeria, the Islamic code had been practiced for centuries until the region came under British rule in the early 1900s. During colonial times, the British allowed the use of Sharia in Nigeria but did not permit the enforcement of amputations or executions as punishments. After independence from Britain, Nigerian leaders suppressed the use of Sharia penalties, fearing they would inflame tensions between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south. In general, Nigerian military leaders established secular courts with British common law as their foundation. Although Christians are not subject to Sharia law, its use in the northern states has created an atmosphere of unease and intimidation among religious groups, often leading to violence (Hoch, 2003).

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Acknowledgments

This paper was made possible by support from the Agency for International Development (USAID) to MEASURE Evaluation under Cooperative Agreement No. GPO-A–00-03-00003-00. The author is grateful to Ilene Speizer and Dominique Meekers for reviewing an earlier version of this paper.

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  1. Department of International Health and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Sohail Agha

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Agha, S. Changes in the Timing of Sexual Initiation Among Young Muslim and Christian Women in Nigeria. Arch Sex Behav 38, 899–908 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9395-0

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