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Are women more sexually responsible than men?

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That’s a rhetorical question, really - or is it? When it comes to matters of sex, most people would probably say that, on average, women are more responsible than men. The results of Health 24’s Great South African Sex Survey of 2010 actually suggest that things aren’t always quite that clear-cut in real life.

Some 17% of the men who participated in the survey say that they "regularly" or "sometimes" have sex with strangers. Of these men as many as 59% also admit to having unprotected sex regularly or sometimes. In this day and age, really!? Come on guys, those are seriously poor odds. We’re disappointed!

By comparison only 4% of all women regularly or sometimes sleep with strangers, but of those, 65% also have unprotected sex regularly or sometimes. So while far fewer women engage in stranger sex than men, those who do tend to be even less responsible than the guys. Not good enough, ladies!

If you just can’t help yourself from getting into some complete strangers pants, at least make him wear a condom. Anything else is playing roulette with your future.

It’s interesting to note that while the women and men who have a thing for sleeping with strangers tend to have unprotected sex more often than those who mostly sleep with people they know, they actually have HIV tests at frequencies higher than those of the general population.

Some 64 to 65% of the men and women who engage in regular or occasional stranger sex also get themselves tested regularly or occasionally, which is substantially higher than the 45 to 48% average for the population as a whole.

Our clever survey statisticians comment that this suggests that people may well be aware of the risks that they take when they sleep with strangers, but that they tend to fail to protect themselves adequately during the moment of intimacy.

(Andrew Luyt, Health24, February 2010)

Read more:

Sisters are starting it themselves

But is it sex?

Any questions? Ask the Sexologist

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