Final answer:
Since 1970, the proportion of women engaging in premarital sex has increased. This is part of a broader trend of changing sexual attitudes and practices, including a rise in the age of marriage, the decrease in global fertility rates, and the evolution of the sexual double standard.
Step-by-step explanation:
Changes in Sexual Practices Since 1970
Since 1970, the proportion of women engaging in premarital sex has increased. This increase aligns with broader social trends witnessed over recent decades, including a rise in the median age of first marriage for both men and women, an evolution in the sexual double standard, and changes in global fertility rates. The median age of first marriage has increased, indicating that people are marrying later in life. Life expectancy rates have generally risen rather than decreased or remained static. Furthermore, the global fertility rate has declined significantly over the past 70 years, with the average number of children per woman dropping to about half of what it once was. Sexual attitudes and practices have shifted, contributing to a rise in premarital sex and differences in the frequency of sexual activity among married and single individuals. This change may be influenced by evolving norms, higher education levels, increased workforce participation by women, and a more liberal approach to dating and relationships as documented by various researchers and surveys including those by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The historical sexual double standard, which was stricter towards women's sexual behaviors compared to men's, has evolved, allowing women more freedom in their sexual choices within certain societal expectations. Trends indicate that while there's still evidence of a double standard, women are more empowered to make individual choices about their sexual lives than in the past. Consequently, the average thirty-five-year-old woman now has more opposite-sex sexual partners than she would have had in the past, although still fewer than men of the same age. An Inter Press Service report further corroborates the increase in premarital sexual activity among women worldwide.