We Are In The Middle Of The Great (Sex) Resignation

Why are people less interested in sexual activity than ever before?

Over the last six months, the media has been obsessed with the ‘Great Resignation’ — people quitting their jobs.

But there is a bigger and perhaps even more important trend growing for a long time now.

The Great Sex Resignation.

People are having less sex than ever before.

Teenagers are losing their virginity at a later age. Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are having less sex. Not having a suitable sex partner isn't an excuse, as there is even less masturbation than before.

I need to put the next sentence in all caps as I was shocked when I read it.

ADOLESCENT MASTURBATION IS DECLINING!

If any group was going to keep the orgasms flowing, I thought it would be teenage boys, but even they are turning to other activities.

Different studies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany point to the same thing.

We aren’t as interested in sexual activity as we used to be.

The alarming data

Several different studies all show the same alarming trend. Bear with me as I share some depressing statistics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey was conducted from 1991 to 2015. It found that the percentage of high-school students who’d had intercourse dropped from 54 to 40 percent over that period.

To put that into perspective, over the course of one generation, sex has gone from something most high-school students have experienced to something that most have not.

Debby Herbenick, an Indiana University psychologist, published a study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior in November 2021. She found that between 2009 and 2018, the proportion of adolescents reporting no sexual activity, either alone or with partners, increased from 28.8 percent to 44.2 percent among young men and from 49.5 percent to 74 percent among young women.

All forms of partnered sexual activity, including penile-vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and partnered masturbation, decreased.

No sex and no masturbation. Three-quarters of adolescent females report zero sexual activity.

What are young people doing?

Gen NoSex

Jean M. Twenge is a psychology professor at San Diego State University who has published research exploring how and why Americans’ sex lives are decreasing.

She trots out more figures.

• Young adults are on track to have fewer sex partners than members of the two preceding generations.
• People now in their early 20s are two and a half times as likely to be abstinent as Gen Xers were at that age.
• Fifteen percent state they haven't had sex since they reached adulthood.
• In 2009, 79 percent of teens between 14–17 said they had not had sex in the past year. In 2019 that number had risen to 89 percent.

I’m a member of Gen X, but it seems this generation has become Gen NoSex.

Less boom boom for the Baby Boomers

I know many of you are of similar vintage to me. You may be thinking, well, today's youth are missing out, but we are still getting it on like always.

Sadly this isn't true.

Gen Xers and Baby Boomers also have less sex today than previous generations did at the same age.

Over the last decade, the average adult went from having sex 62 times a year to 54 times.

Eight fewer fucks a year may not seem like that much, but multiply that globally by sexually active person, which is a lot less sex.

The Great Sex Resignation is here.

Jobs and Zuckerberg killed sex

So what are the issues behind so many people opting out of sex? The answer may seem obvious.

Phone and social media.

Soazig Clifton is the academic director of the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) in the United Kingdom who studied the issue and believes that Steve Jobs is partly to blame.

“It is certainly theoretically plausible that people are spending so much time on their iPads and phones, connecting with others virtually rather than having sex with the person next to them.”

And it’s not just the teens who prefer the digital world to the sexual world.

“The researchers worked with middle-aged women. And something that came up in that research was that women were too tired for sex. They had so much else going on in their life. Between the 24-hour availability of entertainment and the temptation to use smartphones and social media, sexual activity may not be as attractive as it once was. Put simply; there are now many more choices of things to do in the late evening than there once were and fewer opportunities to initiate sexual activity if both partners are engrossed in social media, electronic gaming, or binge-watching.”

Thanks to Steve and Mark, the world is too busy to have sex.

But the internet is full of porn?

The downside of technology is the addiction to phones and social media. But there is a positive side. There is access to pornography via sites such as Pornhub.

Surely this leads to more solo sexual activity?

Nope.

Heberknick found that masturbation amongst 14 to 17-year-olds had dropped despite the plethora of internet porn available. She found that young people were spending so much time playing computer games and viewing social media that they had little time for sexual pursuits.

While there have been fears that easy access to internet porn may steer adolescents and young adults away from pursuing their first intimate relationship, it doesn't seem to be the case.

They just aren't interested in sexual activity of any nature.

We can’t just blame the internet

There are other factors leading to the Great Sex Resignation.

Herbernick believes the recognition of more sexual identities is also a reason.

“We don’t know why more people are identifying as asexual, but I do think more people are aware of it as a valid identity… I love that young people are aware of so many different ways to put into words how they feel about themselves. For many of them, they feel that it’s okay to opt-out of sex.”

We may also be more honest now than previously. There is some belief amongst the researchers that people don’t need to exaggerate or put on bravado when taking a survey. Some of the statistics in previous decades may have been inflated.

According to research, 42 percent of men and 21 percent of women lied about their sexual history. Men are prone to increase their number of sexual partners and how often they have sex.

Perhaps Millennials are simply more honest than past generations.

Who cares if we have less sex?

People prefer to Zuck than fuck — who cares.

Well, many countries are worried about the lack of sex, leading to declining birth rates. I recently wrote about countries worldwide offering incentives for people to procreate. Even Mad Vlad wants Russians to have sex more, offering money, household good, and even Boyz 2 Men concert tickets to incentivize people to have sex.

“Some of the countries who have also seen the decline in sex are quite worried about their declining birth rate — understanding patterns of sexual behavior and frequency of sex are an important part of that puzzle.” Soazig Clifton

Aside from the reproduction aspect, sex is a very important part of life and overall well-being.

Physical and emotional benefits are associated with sexual activity and orgasms, including reduced risk of heart disease, improved self-esteem, and stress relief.

Before finding these studies, I thought people were indulging in more sexual activity than ever before. This is because technology has made it so much easier than in the past.

There are apps that easily allow people to connect and hook up. Websites offering sexually explicit content catering to all preferences can be found at the click of a mouse. And there is a wider acceptance of various sexualities, preferences, and kinks, so people no longer feel the need to repress their true feelings.

It would seem that we have ample opportunities for sexual activity but find other activities more appealing.

I am glad that adolescents are delaying the need for partnered sexual activity until they are ready — that is one positive of these studies. But surely they should be exploring themselves sexually rather than spending hours on YouTube?

And what about older generations — why are we choosing Netflix over sex?

Well, readers, I will do my part to reverse the Great Sex Resignation. I’ll aim to take one — or more for the team. I hope that you join me in making this the Great Sex Rejuvenation.

Come one, come all.

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