People Aren’t Using Condoms Anymore, Should We Be Worried?
“Fear of rejection” falls among top concerns.
BuzzFeed News interviewed anonymous young adults to discuss condoms after discovering their use was decreasing on a national level according to a study done by the Guttmacher Institute.
When the publication asked an anonymous interviewee about their contraceptive use, they replied: “I think back to my most recent partner, and the first time we slept together, which was months ago, I did not ask him about a condom, and I think a lot of it stems from fear of rejection.”
There’s a clear connection between social perceptions surrounding sex and how safe people are during sex. Simply put, there’s so much shame surrounding sex that people don’t feel empowered enough to ask for what they need.
Another interviewee shared: “I grew up mostly Christian, so I really didn’t learn anything about sex until I was in [ninth] grade. And [I] didn’t really have any discussions [about sex] with my parents. I didn’t really have a sex-based health class either,” she said.
Other reasons for lack of condom use reported were people simply forgetting to use them or indicating it feels better to engage in sex “without a barrier.”
The decrease in condom use is alarming, but it also comes with a “steady increase” in STIs. 2021 data is still being collected as a whole, but according to the CDC, there is cause for concern. National Geographic reported in January that “initial reports show that gonorrhea cases have climbed.”
It’s important to not only encourage condom use, but also empower people to make such decisions. A likely solution can be introducing sex education at an earlier age, which studies have shown helps young adults navigate sex more wisely.
Share this article
