Premarital sexual activity and religious practices of Jewish female college students attending South Central United States universities

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1973

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The purpose of this study was to describe Jewish female college students attending ten South Central universities and colleges as to two major aspects of their lives: their premarital sexual activities, their religious beliefs and practices, and the interrelationship between these two variables. This was done in order to enable counselors who are in charge of coed dormitories to better deal with Jewish coeds and to also enable counselors seeing Jewish female college students to better understand them. The instrument used was a questionnaire consisting of 112 brief questions concerning personal and family information, premarital sexual practices, sex attitudes information, and religious practices and beliefs information. Replying to the questionnaires were 885 Jewish coeds attending public and private colleges, non-church and church affiliated. In addition to this, a Test-Retest Reliability Study was done with thirty- three girls at the University of Houston. High correlations found in tills reliability study validated the instrument. Significant differences as to incidence of premarital coitus were found to exist when age, academic position at the university, and degree of attractiveness were considered as variables, with a positive correlation existing between them. Significant differences as to incidence of premarital coitus were also found to exist when traditional synagogue affiliation, positive belief in God, positive devotion to Judaism, attendance at religious services, and membership in a sorority were considered as variables, with a negative correlation existing between them. No significant differences as to premarital coitus were found to exist when college major, G.P.A., size of city where raised, region where raised, age at first date, age when first went steady, extent of religious education, and parents’ annual income were considered as variables. A comparison of Jewish coeds and non-Jewish coeds indicated that the Jewish coeds were not less sexually active in regard to premarital coitus. On the contrary, a comparison of this study with a number of other studies indicated that the Jewish coeds were at least equally active, if not moreso. However, one must qualify this conclusion and treat it with care since the studies involving Jewish coeds and non-Jewish coeds were not made at the same universities and at the same time. . Similarly conclusions concerning girls living in different geographic areas must also be treated carefully since it is quite possible that girls raised in a specific area but attending private college are different from those attending state colleges, church oriented colleges, etc.

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