Sexual Knowledge and Practices of College Girls in Rural Gujarat, India

Abstract

In India, under the influence of various socio-cultural factors, a large number of parents marry off their daughters during adolescence. [1] In many traditional and conservative societies, sex is still considered taboo and sexual matters are generally not discussed in the family. [1], [2] Moreover, until recently, India had one of the lowest female literacy rates in the world. [3] All these factors considered together imply that in many parts of India a large number of young girls with low literacy levels get married during their early adolescence. Their lack of adequate knowledge about sexual matters and contraception results in early and successive pregnancies and sexual disharmony. [4], [5], [6] Furthermore, research studies have documented that a large number of myths
and misconceptions associated with normal human sexuality are prevalent among various socio-cultural groups in our country, thereby further aggravating the confusion.[2], [7-8]