Posted in About Sex. The law in Australia says that young people can decide to have male-female intercourse once they are 16 years old. The law for male-male intercourse is more complicated. In some states, a male has to be 18 to have sex with another male, but only 16 to have sex with a female. The rest of this answer is focused on male-female sex, where the age of consent is
What the experts say
The Sydney Morning Herald
Q: Can a marriage be good, happy and fulfilled but sexless? Gino 52 and I 48 have been married for 20 years. After our two children were born, sex dwindled, due to the usual pressures of family life. We are still relatively young, but haven't had sex for almost three years because Gino lost interest too. We both agreed this was OK. I was never a very sexual person. Gino usually initiated sex, and I don't miss it. We still have a very good relationship, and kiss and cuddle, and have physical contact. Are we too young to stop having sex? A: There are many commonly held misconceptions about sex.
Too young to learn about sex?
Millions of British teenagers are having sex too early, research suggests. Some 40 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men asked about the experience of losing their virginity said it had not happened 'at the right time', according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Experts asked nearly 3, sexually experienced people, aged 17 to 24, how they felt when they had sex for the first time. They were asked whether both partners had been equally willing to have sex, whether the decision had been due to drunkenness or peer pressure, whether they had been ready to start having sex, and if a reliable method of contraception had been used. Only respondents who answered yes to all four questions were deemed sexually competent. Just 48 per cent of women and 56 per cent of men were sexually competent when they lost their virginity, the researchers judged. Nearly 3, people were asked about the experience of losing their virginity. The academics, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, wrote: 'A substantial proportion of young people in Britain become sexually active under circumstances that are arguably incompatible with sexual health, defined in its broad sense, encompassing both physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Lead author Melissa Palmer said: 'Although the survey results yielded some positive outcomes, such as nearly nine in 10 young people using a reliable method of contraception at first sex, further efforts are required to ensure that the broader wellbeing of young people is protected as they become sexually active. If you are looking for the secret to a happy retirement, cancel the tickets for that world cruise.
Parents are divided about how young is too young for children to be taught about sex education at school. One such example is a mum who recently went online to ask if year three is too young for sex education. The mum ended her post by asking if she was being unreasonable to think it was ok for her son to be learning about sex education at that age. And other parents were pretty divided on the subject. Many were of the opinion that children aged seven and eight were old enough to be informed about the topic.
