Sexual Initiation among Brazilian Adolescents: Trends and Socialization Influences

Claudia Gras, International Planned Parenthood Federation

Using individual and household-level data from the 1986 and 1996 Brazil Demographic and Health Survey and Cox proportional hazard modeling, this paper explores the socialization influences and mechanisms that underlie Brazilian adolescents’ transition into sexual activity. Adolescent sexual health trends, including an earlier age at first sex, doubling of adolescents initiating sexual activity pre–maritally, earlier age at first birth and a rising age at marriage have resulted in more teen births in Brazil occurring among unmarried women. Between 1986 and 1996, the age–specific fertility rate for 15–19 year olds increased by 12% despite a decline in fertility in all other age groups. Results indicated that more family and household–level influences were significantly associated with the timing of first sex in 1996 than in 1986, even with more secondary socialization influences also being significant. Religiosity and being employed in skilled labor were the most consistently and strongly associated with a later age at first sex.