Religion is an essential social factor in the life of people in every society. Religion is defined as a conventional force founded on different principles regarding the nature, purpose and origin of earth ( Quinn & Lewin, 2019). Such beliefs are primarily rooted on traditions which involve scriptures, revelations and prophesies which have been integrated into the philosophies and ideologies which guide a specific region. While the world is constantly changing, traditional beliefs and religion remain change gradually. Religion is a major socialization factor for youths, along with their peers, parents and the media. Many conservative religions vehemently prohibit premarital sexual activity and adultery ( Odimegwu, 2005) . Moreover, most of the religious doctrines are founded on the presumptions that sex is primarily meant for procreation. Contrary to such commonly prohibitive sexual beliefs, mass media and popular culture often encourage sexual ideals which majorly involve sexual pleasure.
Many researchers have studied the factors which influence youths to engage in sex before marriage. It has been established that young adults, especially college and university students participate in various behaviors which expose them to the risk for unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) ( Regnerus, 2010) . Besides, research has found out that people tend to be sexually active throughout the early adulthood in comparison to when they are at high school. One of the factors which have been given sufficient attention is the role played by religion in adolescent sexuality. Different studies have demonstrated a correlation between religious commitment and youthful sexual behavior ( Penhollow, Young & Denny, 2005) . Given that religious standards are based on moral prohibitions for most people, the religious principles tend be integral in the conception of personal values, decisions and outlooks. However, the level of the impact of religion a person’s behavior and attitudes is subject to the particular principles and practices of the religion and the level of commitment and integration to their specific religious bodies.
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Because many religious groupings prohibit sex before marriage, the extent of commitment to the religion might be more crucial as a determining factor of teenage sex and sex before marriage, as well as sexual behaviors and attitudes than being affiliated with a particular religion. People who participate in religious sermons and functions might get more religious lessons discouraging sexual activity before marriage, and their stronger commitment to religion might as well predispose them more to accepting their religious organizations’ regarding any sexual activity before marriage( Odimegwu, 2005) . Therefore, people who engage in religious activities often and who hold to their religious beliefs tend to gain sexual approaches and behaviors which are aligned to their religious principles ( Penhollow, Young & Denny, 2005) . Consequently, youths who take active role in religious groupings are either strongly committed to abstinence from sex before marriage or emphasize more on maturity any relationships they engage with members of opposite sex compared to young individuals who are inactive religious matters.
Research Proposition
The purpose of this research project will be explore the influence of religion on sexual activities in low-income neighborhoods of young adults. The research will seek to answer four questions. First, the study focuses on how religion becomes a part of the family by the manner in which it is introduced and followed .Second, the study will seek to answer the question of how are family traditions made and affect a child’s upbringing. Third, the study will explore how religion influence the idea of sexual expectations and communications of parents with their children. Finally, the study will investigate how religion influence the expectation of sexual behaviors.
Rationale for Qualitative Methods
The objective of this qualitative research is to comprehend and describe the relationship between religion, household income, and sex among young adults. Qualitative research is mainly exploratory research. According to Creswell & Creswell (2018) , qualitative research is “"an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or human problem. The researcher builds a complex, holistic picture, analyzes words, reports detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting.” Qualitative research is utilized for gaining and understanding of underlying motivations, opinions and reasons. It offers insights into the research problem or facilitates the development of hypotheses or ideas for potential quantitative research. Also, qualitative research is used to reveal trends in opinions and thought, and explore deeper the problem. Therefore, the use of qualitative method will enable the researcher to investigate the phenomenon of sex among young adults in its natural environment.
Statement of the Problem
Religion and household income influence a number of social aspects of life in every society. One of these social aspects affected by religion and income is sexual activity among teenagers and the young adults. Most of the religions proscribe sex before marriage and sex outside marriage. Besides, income level could encourage or discourage sexual activity in young people. Different studies have established a positive relationship between religion and sexual activity, while others have found negative correlation between household income and sexual activity among youths. Thus, it is necessary to carry out a research which explores the phenomenon of sex among young adults, and how it is influenced by these two factors combined, rather than separately.
Research Questions
The central research question of this study is: What is the role of sex and religion on low-income young adults? This study will also address the following research sub-questions:
How does religion influence the family?
How does the family introduce sex to their adolescent children?
What sexual behaviors are expected of the children as they grow to young adults?
Literature Review
The Intersection between Religion, Family and Sex
Previous studies have investigated religion, sex, and family and how religion has played an important role in the family unit. Religion may also impact many individuals’ physical and mental health. It becomes relevant if youth participates in religious activities at a young age, such as attending religious services (Quinn, Lewin, Anderson, Arria, Roy, & Steinberg, 2017). However, studies suggest that religion can decline during adolescence as they distance themselves from their families. After they become involved with their peer's religion is no longer a priority. However, they may become involved again religiously as they form a family (Quinn, Lewin, Anderson, Arria, Roy, & Steinberg 2017). Current studies describe religiosity and its influence on people and family, the transmission of religion, religion, and attitudes about sex, religion and adolescence, sexual behavior, youthful sexual conduct, parent-child communication, and parental attitudes towards sex outside of marriage. Studies have also looked at adolescent perceptions of parental attitudes as well as knowledge of sexual risk and attitudes. Finally, what sexual behavior do college students engage in and how it shapes perceptions in adulthood.
Robinson, Ratliff, Northrup, & Richardson (2017) looked at the effects of parental and adolescent communication on sexual behavior. The study as well investigated the influence of parents in relationships, education level, communication style, and religion on sex communication. However, this study focused on the influence communication has on a low income young adults and whether or not they grew up with religious values. Many low-income young adults sometimes may sometimes experience a different dilemma given where they grew up and the struggles they have had to make to support themselves (Robinson, Ratliff, Northrup & Richardson, 2017). Usually, in low-income communities, sex is not a topic that is discussed openly; it is more of a subject that is taboo until the young adult is out of the house.
Regnerus (2010) performed a longitudinal study to understand the relationship between youth sexual behavior and religion. First, the author highlighted some facts regarding this issue. The author pointed out that in the US, approximately 80% of young individuals experience intercourse at some point in their adolescent years. One crucial factor – although poorly understood – which forms sexual practice is spirituality and religion. There are various ways through which religion might impact youthful sexuality as well as its practice. These ways include decisions about contraceptives, non-marital sexual behavior, and the utilization of pornography. Besides, religion might have an indirect influence on sexual choices through its impact on dating patterns and choices of friendships. However, there is no clearly documented research on how religion contributes to sexual behavior and values.
Further, Regnerus (2010) asserts that many studies on first intercourse have shown that attending to religious services more frequently as well as higher religious salience predisposes a person to delay a teenager’s first sexual intercourse experience. Various studies investigating denominational differences in first sex’s timing have also established more diverse outcomes compared to religiosity studies. Several researchers have concluded that youths from sectarian, fundamentalist, and evangelical backgrounds have a higher likelihood of delaying sex compared to other young people. Catholics might be most likely to stay virgins until they are married, although some investigators disagree with this conclusion.
Moreover, Regnerus (2010) points out that recent research found out that the strongest determinants of the use of Internet pornography at last one time per month are weak links to religion, as well as unhappy marriage. The researchers thus concluded that religion acts as a social control tool in assisting prevent adult men from watching pornography. Also, another more compelling issue in the field of teenage sexual behavior is the correlation between sex, race, and religion. According to Regnerus (2010), African-American teenagers are, on average, devoted to religion more than white adolescents. It many studies have also been established that despite their greater religiosity, black American youths, particularly men, also show consistency in earlier shifts to sexual activity. Based on studies spanning more than twenty years, the intersection between sexual behavior and religiousness is weaker amongst black youths than amongst whites. Generally, the influence of religion on sex seems strongest amongst young white girls. Among black American young girls, religion often protects against the sexual practice.
Further, Quinn & Lewin (2019) state that a family plays a part in the sexual and religious socialization of teenagers in a complex and varied way. A small number of studies have taken into account the effect of family or parental religiosity on the sexual behaviors of young people, either directly or via the religiosity of the young person. In their research, Quinn & Lewin (2019) conducted a study on university students at a big, public campus in the mid-Atlantic by using multidimensional methods to explore the correlations amongst parental monitoring in teenage years, family religiosity, the religiosity of the students, and the specific sexual behaviors of students. The results showed that greater family religiosity is linked to a reduced possibility of involvement in particular sexual activities, although, for students who engage in these sexual acts, family religiosity is not correlated to any dissimilarities in the sexual onset timing or in the number of partners the learners have. Likewise, the findings suggested that parental monitoring might intercede the relationships between certain sexual risky acts and family religiosity. Higher individual religiosity was linked to a reduced probability of having been involved in any sexual act, and a greater probability of using condoms for students who engaged in vaginal sex. The researchers concluded that the study offered useful understandings about the role played by religiosity, at the individual and family level in the sexual behavior of college students.
Odimegwu (2005) examined the role played by religion in teenage sexual conduct as well as attitudes in Nigeria. The research was carried out in two Nigerian national universities, which had a student population of over 40,000. The research data was gathered from a sample population of students residing in the university. The researchers interviewed 1,870 respondents successfully, although due to the age limit of teenagers, the researchers only analyzed data from 1,153 adolescents who were between the age of 10 and 24 (Odimegwu, 2005). The researchers used a logistic regression model for analyzing the data. The findings of the study established a strong correlation between adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior and religiosity, even though the commitment to religion was found to be more crucial compared to being affiliated with religion in influencing teenage sexual behaviors and attitudes. The findings were consistent with previous research findings, as they proved the strong impact of religion that is more manifest in religious beliefs and doctrines (Odimegwu, 2005). Therefore, religious practices such as the regular attendance of religious activities, reading the bible and praying daily, evangelizing through distributing religious tracts and leaflets and preaching, are important religious factors that influence the teenage sexual onset, attitudes to sex before marriage, and engaging in ongoing sexual acts.
The effect of religiosity as well was identified after the researchers investigated the impact of sexual initiation on the current sexual behavior and attitudes. The study revealed that the young people who engaged in sex before marriage debut had a higher chance of supporting premarital sex regardless of their marital status (Odimegwu, 2005). Nevertheless, in current sexual behavior, religious practice and sexual attitudes were the more vital aspects than a sexual debut. Also, the study showed that the religious evangelization practice, the sexual debuts had a higher chance of supporting sex before marriage, a finding which was thought to be a result of the changing lifestyle of adolescents on campuses.
Manlove, Logan, Moore & Ikramullah (2008) also performed a longitudinal survey to explore relationships between religiosity and family in early teenage and reproductive health results – consistent use of contraceptive, number of partners, and sexual intercourse at 17 years of age. The researchers identified pathways in which family religiosity was related to these outcomes through the use of a structural equation model. The outcomes of the research established that family religiosity had a negative correlation with teenage sexual activity, both indirectly and directly. The indirect correlation was facilitated by family cohesion (as shown in parental monitoring and the quality of the teenager-parent relationship, along with family normal undertakings among women, and negative peer conduct (Manlove, Logan, Moore & Ikramullah, 2008). Higher family religiosity had a negative correlation with being involved with less sexual partners, and with the consistent use of contraceptives. These relationships were facilitated by sex onset at a later age, more positive peer settings, and greater levels of parental awareness and monitoring. Nonetheless, amongst men who were sexually active, family religiosity directly and adversely affected the consistency of contraceptive.
Overall, the results revealed that families affect the decisions of teenagers about engaging in sexual activity and using contraceptives and therefore influence their risk of STDs and pregnancy. In comparison with other teenagers, adolescents with positive relations with their parents, those who talked with them, and were involved in family undertakings regularly, and those whose parents monitored and knew their friends and activities, had fewer chances of engaging in sexual intercourse, tended to have less sexual partners, and sometimes were more probable to use contraceptives (Manlove, Logan, Moore & Ikramullah, 2008). Thus, the study concluded that positive peer networks and cohesive family atmospheres result in lower risky sexual activity levels among teenagers from religious families. The parents who observe the activities of their children and peer networks, involve their families in routine activities and nurture strong child-parent relations might help in reducing risky sexual conduct, irrespective of family religiosity.
Also, in their research, Landor, Simons, Simons, Brody & Gibbons (2011) developed and tested a model of different ways in which parent’s religiosity reduced the possibility of a teenager engaging in risky sexual activity like many sexual partners, early sexual debut, and inconsistent use of a condom. The study sampled 612 black American teenagers, in which 55% were women. The findings of the study showed that parent’s religiosity affected teenage risky sexual activity through its influence on adolescent religiosity, authoritative parenting, and teenage association with less sexually tolerant friends. The results also showed the significance of messages regarding sexual behavior, which the youths exchange among themselves. Therefore, the researchers concluded that parental religiosity was a defensive element for black American teenagers in that it worked as social control for reducing the likelihood of engaging in risky sexual activity. The results also showed that parent’s religious devotion was linked to higher teenage religiosity, an authoritative style of parenting, and interaction with less sexually tolerant peers.
Similarly, Penhollow, Young & Denny (2005) carried out a research study aimed at determining whether the frequency of participating in religious activities as well as the perceived level of religiosity could differentiate between the students who had engaged in certain sexual behavior and those who had not. The researchers collected data from a sample population of 408 students at a southeastern university. The findings of the study established that religiosity factors, particularly the frequency of attending religious services, as well as religious feelings, significantly predicted sexual behavior (Penhollow, Young & Denny, 2005). The more religious feelings a student had, and the higher the religiosity attendance, the lower the sexual behavior, and vice versa. Thus, the researchers conclude that religious belief is a crucial factor for most people regarding sexuality. Various religiosity aspects have diverse impacts on sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, and risk perception. Also, sexual experiences affect religiosity.
Structural and Cultural Aspects
In another study by Adamczyk & Hayes (2012), the researchers sought to examine how structural and cultural characteristics shape the actions of an individual. The researchers explored this relationship by investigating how micro- and macro level, religious impacts shape a person’s reporting of extramarital and premarital sex. The researchers investigated how identifying with one of the main religions of the world –Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam – and living in a civilized Muslim country shape the probability of extramarital sex (Adamczyk & Hayes, 2012). The findings of the study showed that married Muslims and Hindus were less probable to have premarital and extramarital sex, compared to married Christians and Jews. Overall, Muslims showed lower probability of engaging in premarital and extramarital sex than all other religions.
Family Income and Risky Sexual Behavior in Youths
McLaughlin & Kaplan (2008) carried out a study to examine the impact of family income on teenage risky sexual conduct. According to the researchers, a risky sexual activity might profoundly affect youths in terms of mental health, physical wellbeing, as well as future economic success. The researchers studied examined the correlation between risky social activities such as sexual intercourse debut age, total of sexual partners, use of contraceptives, and STD’s contraction. The outcomes of the study revealed that for the variables mentioned above, religiosity and race are the most crucial determinants of risky sexual activity. According to the findings, African-Americans have a higher likelihood of being identified with Chlamydia, have their first sex at an early stage, and have a risky number of sexual partners. Pacific and Asian Islanders were found to be less probably to engage in these activities (McLaughlin & Kaplan, 2008). Also, religiosity was a critical determining factor in the number of sexual partners as well as age at first sex. The people who often participated in religious services had lesser partners and sex at an older age. The relationship between religiosity was especially significant in girls in identifying the number of partners. The researchers also found a significant negative correlation between unprotected sex and income. However, concerning the use of contraceptives, the findings showed a significant negative relationship between unprotected sex among youths and income. The authors concluded that household income is the greatest risk factor for risky conducts that have costly preventive measures.
Synthesis
Overall, the literature on the interplay between religion, household income and sex among young people offers opportunities for further research to who have interest in advancing research on how these topics relate in a broader spectrum. The existing literature on this area highlights some subjects which are crucial for further analysis. First, the literature underscores the importance of family and parental involvement in influencing the sexual activity of teenagers. Also, the literature has focused on religiosity, both at individual level and family level, and its influence in early onset of sexual activity among youths. Lastly, the literature has highlighted on the impact household income could have on the risky sexual behavior of young people. Therefore, our current study will focus around these topics, and it is likely that the research findings for the proposed study will establish similar results.
References
Adamczyk, A., & Hayes, B. E. (2012). Religion and sexual behaviors: Understanding the influence of Islamic cultures and religious affiliation for explaining sex outside of marriage. American Sociological Review , 77 (5), 723-746.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Landor, A., Simons, L. G., Simons, R. L., Brody, G. H., & Gibbons, F. X. (2011). The role of religiosity in the relationship between parents, peers, and adolescent risky sexual behavior. Journal of youth and adolescence , 40 (3), 296-309.
Manlove, J., Logan, C., Moore, K. A., & Ikramullah, E. (2008). Pathways from family religiosity to adolescent sexual activity and contraceptive use. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health , 40 (2), 105-117.
McLaughlin, C., & Kaplan, V. (2008). Risky Business: The Effect of Family Income on Teen Risky Sexual Behavior (Doctoral dissertation, Honors Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation with Distinction in Economics in Trinity College of Duke University, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina).
Odimegwu, C. (2005). Influence of religion on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviour among Nigerian university students: affiliation or commitment?. African journal of reproductive health , 125-140.
Penhollow, T., Young, M., & Denny, G. (2005). The impact of religiosity on the sexual behaviors of college students. Journal of Health Education , 36 (2), 75-85.
Quinn, D. A., & Lewin, A. (2019). Family Religiosity, Parental Monitoring, and Emerging Adults’ Sexual Behavior. Religions , 10 (2), 114.
Quinn, D., Lewin, A., Anderson, E., Arria, A., Roy, K., & Steinberg, J. (2017). Religion, Sex, and Family: The Role of Family Religiosity and Sex Communication in Emerging Adults’ Sexual Behaviors (ProQuest Dissertations Publishing). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2013203126/
Regnerus, M. D. (2010). Religion and adolescent sexual behavior. Religion, Families, and Health, edited by Christopher Ellison, and Robert Hummer , 61-85.
Robinson, M., Ratliff, D., Northrup, J., & Richardson, B. (2017). The Effects of Religiosity on Parent-Adolescent Communication About Sex and Sexuality: A Multiple Regression (ProQuest Dissertations Publishing). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1955176416/
