Monastic and Co-education Schooling Environments Influence on The Age at Which Teenagers Become Sexually Active

Human behavior and what factors influence people’s actions and decision making is incredibly interesting, especially in today’s ever-changing world dominated by technology and artificial intelligence. This topic analyses how one’s environment can influence one’s actions and decision making and whether or not the repercussions negatively and/or positively affect one’s well-being.

Scientific studies show that having sex at an early age can double the risk of developing cervical cancer in women and it can also stunt the growth of male reproductive organs because it happens during the development of the nervous system. However, psychologists say that teens who engage in sexual activity at a young age tend to have better social relationships in early adulthood than their peers - which are life skills most schools try to prepare their pupils for.

Many parents question whether or not a monastic or a co-education schooling environment is better for their children, this project aims to identify a key differentiating factor that can help parents in coming to a viable conclusion that fits their parenting style values. Perhaps it’s not the types of school a parent sends their child to but the sexual education received at the school based on its environment. Hopefully this project helps to discover whether the fact that teenagers attend a school with the opposite sex or the same sex has any impact on their sexual lives and at what age they become sexually active in these environments. Maybe one’s environment can affect one’s behavior and cause short and/or long-term implications, or perhaps some influences are stronger and more emphasized in certain teenagers than others.

Studies show that gender division in the classroom affects the way one might perceive themselves and in turn a possible sexual partner. This affects one’s sexual activity. Psychologists say that the environment created by separating males and females can create mindset of segregation and labeling which is not what our modern society is about. Studies show that when girls are educated in an all-girl environment they are adventurous and sure about themselves, however as soon as they are placed in an environment with the opposite sex, most girls become shy and introverted. On the other hand, males grow and develop better in single sex environments because all their peers are maturing at the same rate. However, because of the lack of interaction and familiarity of the opposite sex, individuals struggle to interact with the opposite sex resulting in a decrease in sexual activity present in monastic schools

Many girls mature faster than boys emotionally and physically, thus a female is in a co-educational school, she will constantly look to the older grade males above her as males her own age are not her emotional level. This could increase the rate of sexual activity in co-educational school than single sex schools, as females in this positioned would have easier access to possible sexual partners.

Roughly a third of both male and female high school students are sexually active which increases as the grade increases. 16% of grade 9 students reported they were sexually active, compared with 46 percent of twelfth-graders, this gap is seen to be bigger in female students meaning that more males are sexually active at an earlier age than females.

Attending a single sex school limits, one’s interactions with the opposite sex and therefor limits one’s opportunity for sexual activity. This however could affect one’s behavior and mindset later in life as the work place is not only single sex. Not being around the opposite sex could also work in reverse, meaning one is around the opposite sex they could have sexual interactions with many people as they might be afraid that this opportunity might not arise again.