INFLUENCE OF DATING AND PREMARITAL SEX ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA A CASE STUDY OF ABIA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Dating and pre-marital sex has given birth to ceaseless questions, being known as a practice that is hugely affected by the time, period, social conditions, construct, biology, cultural nuns and institutional frame that wraps around the people. Dating is an act that is practiced and known by too many people, but just a few are acquainted by or knows the exact meaning. Apparently, it is an activity that a good number of college aged students are interested and engaged in. According to Longman English Dictionary of Contemporary English, dating is a romantic relationship with someone. Another dictionary, Collins Dictionary defined dating as appointment between two different sexes or more. Talking of Pre-marital sex, it means having sexual intercourse with the opposite sex before marriage or at an illegal age. According to Mache (1981), the young zest or desire for love and to be love as a result of peer-pressure oftentimes leads to premarital sex, and it is perceived by youth as fun, way of life and that when you really like someone, you show it by having sex and it is a natural thing to desire to be intimate. Over the years, researches have been done on premarital sex and have been unveiled that youth, specifically the girls engage in sex before marriage because they want to know how well or bad their partner is in bed, etc, though it is not biblical. A good percent of both male and female presume that having sex proved your man-hood or womanhood. This has led many into this practice because they do not want to be seen as the odd one.They fall for the pressure to experience what sexual relationship is like. Years back, Psychologists found out that there are two reasons to a person falling in love.

The first step is from the desire to escape; the second is from internal discontent, grows the desire and ability to fall in love with another person. On the other hand, differentiating between welfare while immature love explicit the beloved in other to satisfy his/her needs. In resent times, dating was informal, people involved in the act need not to be formal with each other but nowadays, the youths introduced the policies of dating. Cars also have a significant effect on dating and premarital sex. Once you have a car, you and your so called spouse will have more privacy and intimacy away from the sharp eyes and mouths of onlookers. Studies showed that from 1960’s till date, there have been some huge changes. Dating a female has had a huge effect on dating and premarital sex, power is now being bestowed on woman, they now realize they are more than just a wife but also a human being. The introduction and implementation of birth control measures maximizes the rate of premarital sex. The average age to start having sexual intercourse ranges between 13 and 14, Moone (1992) for males and females, another researcher reported that 85% of males and 69% of females have engaged in dating and premarital sex. Sociologists noted that the concept of a romantic love did not ever exist due to industrial revolution of 18th and 19th century. After the industrial revolution, people did not rely on one another as much to survive when idea of romantic love first came into existence.

Dating at a young age is characterized by youth of nowadays; nowadays it is seen as fun and is practiced for a companionship rather than a serious activity for the purpose of finding a lifelong partner. Most girls and boys are not opportune or fortunate to be born into a family were the parents will shower them with so much love that they won’t rely on a man’s/girl’s confession of love to him/her to feel loved, this alone or single handedly lures 95% of youths into the act of dating which frequently leads to premarital sex. The media have a direct influence on dating habit and views about the opposite sex. Male controlled media have enhanced an environment in which to define woman as sex object Ollenburger and Moore (1992), movies and television serve to create and maintained social beliefs about the sex. There are many biological factors that helps determined ones dating habits, biological make-up, as well as chemical actions plays a major role in who one is attracted to. There isn’t much information on how they work, but hormones are known to be a leading factor in establishing sex drive. A study of love attractiveness and sex drive carried out by Wilson and Nins (1976) pointed out that “Sex drives are chemical release by the gonalds and other glands circulates through the blood back to brain, they influence our biological readiness for production attractiveness to potential partners and receptiveness to them. Another chemical that aect dating and pre-marital sex is a aphrodisiacs. It enhance sexual desire, some of these substances are Caviar, Oysters, BV Vitamins E, and Chocolate. All unfounded claim”. The timing of sexual initiations and subsequent sensual behaviour is influence by many factors such as;

Parental Influence

Marital and child bearing of parents acting as a role model, including experience of divorce, living arrangement and behaviour towards the opposite sex have been identified as being impacted (Ostrov et al., 1985) Girls from single parent families tend to become sexually active, however, it is not dear if lack of supervision of behaviour modeling is at the core.