Attitudes of Senior High School Students from Schools in Quezon City District I towards

Premarital Sex

A Quantitative Research
Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School
QUEZON CITY SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
Golden Acres Rd., Quezon City, Metro Manila

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATION AND IMMERSION

Proponents of the Study:

ADVIENTO, Joshua Lorenzo M.
BANGUILAN, Joshua N.
BERNANDINO, Gerald Jem A.
CABRERA, Jenno Laurent
MARTINEZ, Nathaniel Vedasto A.
PECSON, Jeff Nereo G.

Capile, Ronald
Research Adviser
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ...................................................................................................................................................... i

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................ ii

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1

Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................................... 2

Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................................... 3

Review of Related Literature .................................................................................................................... 3

Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................................. 7

Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................................... 7

Research Participants ................................................................................................................................ 7

Apparatus/Instruments .............................................................................................................................. 8

Research Design........................................................................................................................................ 8

Procedure .................................................................................................................................................. 8

Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................... 9

References .................................................................................................................................................. 10

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I. INTRODUCTION

Changes are dramatically happening in the Philippines and Filipinos are losing some of their
known culture and traditions. Filipinos before were known to be conservative and find sex-related topics
inappropriate to talk about. But in this generation, Filipinos became more liberated and open to express
themselves with regards to the ideas of sex-related topics and this includes premarital sex.

Sensitivity is a necessity in making decisions during this modern era. This makes the person think
of the consequences of certain actions. Sometimes the decision of a person needs validation from other
people before they make it. To engage and not to engage in premarital sex is one of the decisions the
youth of today gives extreme thought due to its impact on a person's life in the future. Premarital sex is
the act of having sexual intercourse between couples before marriage, and this is overheard by people
from teenagers. This act is considered to be a social issue in the Philippines because of our conservative
culture, religious beliefs in our region (e.g. Christianity and Islam), and due to its effect on adolescent
pregnancy rate and population growth rate.

Premarital sex has been prominent in the past years. Its fast-paced growth and effects are
alarming not only on the image of the Philippines but more importantly, its youth. Director Dr. Juan Perez
III (2017) said in his interview that a third of the teen’s population ages 15-19 have engaged in premarital
sex, approximately 32% of the 10.2 million Filipino teenagers of that age. Teens involved in these social
cases are vulnerable to various demoralizing effects like teenage pregnancy. While teenage pregnancy in
most countries is declining, numbers are rising in the Philippines. One out of ten women age 15-19 is
already a mother or pregnant with her first child. According to reports, about 500 Filipino teenagers
become mothers every day. That will be about 182,500 teenage mothers per year. According to statistics,
as the age increases the percentage of birth rate also increases, which is normal, but the said ages are
excessively young to give birth especially at the age of 15 which lacks experience and capability of
raising a child. Statistics also shows that teenage pregnancy is more prominent in rural areas and
provinces. Lastly, people who are not or not that educated also have higher risks of pregnancy rate than
those who have attained higher education.

Teenagers in this generation are vulnerable to premarital sex. This is due to the influence of
modern technology or media and the changing social norms on the acceptance of premarital sex. Today,
it is evident that premarital sex has become an “ordinary” activity of adolescents in newer generations and
there are several factors besides youth’s curiosity that prompt them to engage in premarital sex.

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According to Ajiboye, Aina, Oyebanji & Awoniyi (2014), family structure is associated with premarital
sex in our country; that is when you are raised by a single parent, you are more susceptible to engage in
premarital sex than those that have both parents. To simplify it, one’s family background is a factor in the
engagement in premarital sex. Another factor is the insufficient sex education in our country that usually
leads to youth’s self-exploration. Other factors associated with premarital sex include peer pressure,
cultural influence, lack of guidance, poor school discipline, religious teachings, and accessibility of
different types of media (Kiragu & Zabin, 1993; Abraham & Kumar, 1999; Ajiboye, 2006; Adegoke,
2013).

In the context of present cultural beliefs, motifs, and social norms, senior high school students of
various top universities are less demur of the practice of premarital sex. The top universities in the
Philippines are Ateneo de Manila High School, De La Salle University, and University of Santo Tomas
(UniRank, 2019); University of the Philippines was excluded because it does not provide senior high
school programs. Taking into consideration youthful tendencies, and influences of a different social era
that these students are exposed to, students are more vulnerable to engage in premarital sex. Thus, this
study aims to determine the stance of these students on the concurrent issue of premarital sex. It also aims
to obtain information on how to better improve sex education in the Philippines. It purposes to see if the
correlation of religion, gender, and family orientation with attitudes of senior high school students of
these universities towards premarital sex.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The continuous rise in the cases of problems (e.g teenage pregnancy) resulting from teenagers
engaging in premarital sex has become an alarming issue nowadays. The exposure of teenagers,
specifically high school students, to different sociological factors established the idea that they are the
most vulnerable and susceptible in engaging in premarital sex which can result to the issue of teenage
pregnancy. The findings of this study will help the following roles: (1) Students. This study will help
them understand the issue of premarital sex and help them avoid the factors that contribute to it. (2)
Parents. Since they are the most influential people in the youth today, this will guide them on what to do
to help their children further understand the issue. (3) School Community. This will help them assess if
they are giving quality sex education to the youth of today that will help them to understand the issue of
premarital sex and the consequences of such actions. This study may also help them be aware of the
stance and viewpoint of students regarding the issue that may aid in implementing programs that will lead
to a better school community with responsible students. (4) Society. This will help them further
understand the issue and be a guide in helping preventing overpopulation in the country.

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 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Teenage pregnancy has been a serious problem in the Philippines. This drastically affects our
problem of over population and degrades our economy. Psychological damages are also evident in
today’s youth. Depression, confusion and regret are some of these psychological damages. Teenagers are
the leading participants in this activity, making them vulnerable all the effects of premarital sex stated.
Hence, this study aims to assess the attitude of senior high school students from schools in Quezon City
District I on premarital sex.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Rampant Engagement in teens in the Philippines

Our views on virginity before marriage is changing due to increasing cases of premarital sex.
Gorne (2006) in a phone interview with Population officer Velma Kangleon learned that teenage
pregnancies and premarital activities are rampant in Eastern Visayas. Thus, making the teenage
population vulnerable to this activity in the Philippines. Senior high school students from schools in
Quezon City District I were chosen as the participants for the study due to their age range and quality
education

Premarital sex in the Philippines

Premarital sex is increasingly becoming more common in the Philippines. According to a survey
done by the Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study (YAFS 4), 32% of Filipinos aged 15-24 has
engaged in premarital sex in 2013. This is 9% higher than that of another survey done in 2002. In 2002,
16% of women and 31.2% of men have engaged in premarital sex. In 2013 however, 28.7% of women
and 35.5% of men have engaged in premarital sex (Philippine Council For Health Research and
Development, 2014).

To put it in an even larger timeline, it can be contrasted with a study done in 1994. According to this, the
percentage of youth engaged in premarital sex in 1994 for males and females were approximately 26%
and 10% respectively. (Crisostomo, 2003). That is an increase of 5% for males and 6% for females in
comparison to the survey done in 2003 and an increase of 10% for males and 19% for females in
comparison to the survey done in 2013. This shows that in the following years, the amount of youth
engaged in premarital sex has increased.

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Consequences of Premarital sex

Premarital sex demeans one’s social, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. The deploring
effects are widespread and can cause a permanent damage to a person. Premarital sex comes with various
effects and consequences. One of the emotional results caused by premarital sex is psychological damage.
Examples of this are confusion, depression and being regretful. Premarital sex can also cause social
problems. This act is usually kept private; therefore, reputations can be degraded. Reputations are usually
important to an individual; thus, premarital sex would only cause injury to one’s reputation. Another
aspect that is affected by premarital sex is the physical body. Sexually transmitted disease is one of the
regretful effects of premarital sex. An estimate of three million cases of STD's are reported among teens
every year. Contracting sexually transmitted disease corrupts the well-being of a person, thus
demoralizing them and adding more psychological damage. (Negative Effects of Premarital Sex, n.d.)

Unintended pregnancy is common among Filipino teenagers. The Philippine government has
made proper steps to improve contraceptive services, but abortion is illegal under all circumstances and is
thus highly prohibited. In spite of it, abortion is widespread among teenagers, but is often practiced under
unsanitary conditions and performed by outdated procedures. Unsafe abortion poses consequential danger
and risks for women. About a thousand of these women die each year due to abortion complications,
which contributes to the nation’s high maternal mortality ratio. Tens of thousands of women are
hospitalized each year for complications from unsafe abortion. (Finer & Hussain, 2016)

Teenage pregnancy in the Philippines

The teenage pregnancy rates in the Philippines still remain at significant rate despite the
government’s persistent effort to control the country’s population. In a global perspective, the average
rate in the Philippines is almost twice as high compared to the overall adolescent pregnancy rates in
Southeast Asia. For every ten Filipina teenagers aged 15 to 19 years old, one of them is already a mother
based on the results of the 2013 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study conducted by the University
of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and Demographic Research Development Foundation. In
addition, 2.6% of Filipina teenagers in the same age group are already pregnant with her first child, while
13.6% have already done childbearing.

The prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the Philippines is greatly influenced by their social
behavior. Results from the study conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority revealed that three out
of four men have already watched pornographic videos, compared to only two out of five females have
done the same. In terms of engaging in premarital sex, more men have been involved in pre-marital sex at
35.5% compared to women at 28.7%. (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2014)

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 Results from another study conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that teenage mothers give birth to 24 babies every hour that
is equivalent to 500 babies a day. Further data shows that more than 18,000 girls are having more than
one child before they even reach twenty-years old already have 2 children.

Increasing Population in the Philippines

Based on the latest United Nations estimates, the current population of the Philippines is
108,032,003. Although the growth rate of the Philippines has slightly reduced from 1.89% to 1.72%, the
increase in population is expected which range to 93 to 142 million (World Population Review, 2019).
Statistics also show that there is one birth every 13 seconds and one death every 45 seconds (World
Population Review, 2019)

Factors affecting engagement on premarital sex

Abdulahi and Umar (2013) revealed that most parents have difficulties to provide enough money
to pay for school commodities and finance personal needs like feeding, cosmetics, and clothes. In relation
to their study, they found that 69% of respondents asserted that students engage in pre-marital sex for
economic reasons.

Love is a factor for engaging in pre-marital sex. Based on their findings, 40% of respondents
asserted to engaging in pre-marital sex for love sake. Approximately, 37% had an opposite view while
about 23% remain not interested. It is important to quote that 25% of the respondents who asserted to
engaging in pre-marital sex for love reasons, engage in it in occasions while 15% sometimes.

Peer influence is another factor for the existence of pre-marital sex. Based on their study, the
majority of their respondents argued that most of the freshmen students were easily engage into pre-
marital sex, because most of them were no experience or new to the system.

Young women that belong to a poor family who wants to have good future turn to engage into a
relationship with older men to pay for her school requirements and provide for her family’s needs. Bocar
and Biong (2016) revealed that some teenagers may have already been sexually abused though some of
the respondents did not consider them as one of the factors to engage premarital sex. They believed that
their history of sexual abuse was a sexual contact in which one did not agree onto. They conclude that
young females who have history of sexual abuse have a higher chance to engage premarital sex.

Drinking of alcoholic beverages and the use of drugs by teens are more likely result in
engagement to premarital sex (Gorne, 2006; as cited in Bocar and Biong, 2016). In addition, the men
anticipate feeling more powerful, sexual and aggressive after drinking alcohol (Abbey, 2012; as cited in

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Bocar and Biong, 2016), and drugs could induce sexual desire and alcohol use have been identified as
factors which may encourage unintended sexual activities (Naijanewsreel, 2011; as cited in Bocar and
Biong, 2016). The study of Wong, et al., (2010) supported the two findings, which discovered that the
respondents’ manifestation when they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs they engage in sexual
activity (as cited in Bocar and Biong, 2016).

Wong, et al., (2012) reveals that the lack of confidence to resist peer pressure when it comes to
having sex, and the perception in one’s group of friends that more than half of them have already engage
in premarital sex are one of the significant factors that is associated to sexual intercourse among teens.

Contrarily, even if a teenager does not engage in any gang activities, does not consume alcoholic
beverages, nor does not take prohibited drugs, there is still a high possibility of them engaging to
premarital sex if they choose to drop out of school or is no longer studying as teachers, who plays a huge
role in insisting that premarital sex is not accepted in our society , no longer attends their classes.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examine the attitudes of Senior High School students from
schools in Quezon City District I towards premarital sex to help in raising awareness and improving sex
education in our community.
Specifically, the study requires answers to the following questions:
1. What are the reasons or sociological factors that affect the students’ attitude towards
premarital sex?
2. What factor had the most influence on the students’ attitudes towards premarital sex?
3. Do the participants’ attitudes towards premarital sex differ in terms of their grade level, age,
and sex?
4. What are the sources of information of the students about sexual activities?

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS

A. Target Participants

The sampling method that will be used for this study will be a combination of purposive
and quota sampling. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the universities where the main
participants will come from. Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas, and De La
Salle University were selected due to their provision of quality education and their inclusion in

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 the top 4 universities in the Philippines. Quota sampling will be used as the sampling method for
the main participants with a sample of 50 students per university (a total of 150 students). They
will be selected from grades 11 and 12 based on their availability.

The sampling method that will be used for this study will be purposive sampling.
Purposive sampling was used in selecting the schools where the main participants will come
from. Ernesto Rondon High School, San Francisco High School, and Judge Juan Luna High
School were selected due to their provision of quality education and are located in Quezon City
District I. Fifty students will be selected per school (a total of 150 students) as the main
respondents of the study. Twenty-five grade 11 students and twenty-five grade 12 students will
comprise the requirement of fifty students per school.

B. Research Design

The research design selected for this study is non-experimental research design. The
researchers will collect the information through surveys and questionnaire that will be interpreted
based on their answers.

B. Apparatus and/or Instruments

Survey and Questionnaire

The researchers will be using surveys and questionnaires to determine the respondent’s
background (sex, religion, and age). This information will be used to further understand the
participants’ attitudes toward premarital sex.

Likert Scale

Likert scale will be used by the researchers to measure the attitude of the respondents
towards premarital sex through their understanding.

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

SPSS will be used in the reliability test of the Likert scale with Cronbach alpha, and for
chi square test for data analysis

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 D. Procedure

1. Formulation of Survey and Questionnaire

The researchers will create a survey to assess the respondents’ background and a
questionnaire (Likert scale) to assess their attitudes toward premarital sex. The questions will
be constructed by referencing from related studies. After formulating the content, the
researchers will produce forms containing the questions for a specific number of people
(respondents and research adviser).
2. Selection of Respondents
The researchers will use purposive sampling as their sampling method. 50 senior high
school students per schools will be chosen and among these 50 students, there will be 25 each
for grades 11 and 12.
3. Reliability Test
Cronbach alpha will be used to test the reliability of the questionnaire that will be taken
from studies related to the topic
4. Validity Test
The questionnaire taken from the related studies will be modified and sent to the UP
Population Institute in order to check the validity of the questionnaire.
5. Collection and Analysis of Data
The questionnaire will be collected from the respondent prior to the given time. The data
collected will be organized and entered on a spreadsheet or Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS). Gender, age, grade level, sex and influencing factors will then be grouped
in contingency tables. Data will be analyzed using chi-square test at p < 0.05 level of
significance and odds ratio and relative risk in order to assess the relationship of the variables
tested. The data from the Likert scale will be tested using a cutoff (5 multiplied by the
number of questions in the Likert scale and then divided by two) will be used in order to
determine whether their attitude is favorable or unfavorable. A score equal to or greater than
the cutoff will indicate an unfavorable attitude and a score less than the cutoff will indicate a
favorable attitude.

III. DATA ANALYSIS

Chi-square test will be used to test the significant difference of the attitudes of the students
towards premarital sex in terms of their class level, exposure to common factors, sex and their age at
p<0.05 level of significance. Odd ratio will be used to test the independence of variables; with a value

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equal to one the variables are neutral with each other, with a value less than one, the variables are
negatively correlated, and with a value more than 1 the variables are positively correlated.

REFERENCES:
Abdullahi, D., & Umar, A. (2013). Factors Associated with Engaging in Pre-Marital Sex Among the
Students of University of Maiduguri. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
Invention, 2(10), October 2013, 40-49. Retrieved June 11, 2019, from https://www.ijhssi.org.
Agency, P. N. (2017, March 28). Internet blamed for early
sex among PH teens. The Manila
Times.
Bocar, A. C., & Biong, C. (2016). Factors that Induce Premarital Sexual Intercourse Among Adolescents:
Reasons that Lead to Teenage Pregnancy. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2856855
Finer, L. B., & Hussain, R. (2016, April 06). Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in the
Philippines: Context and Consequences. Retrieved from
https://www.guttmacher.org/report/unintended-pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-philippines-
context-and-consequences
Frias, N. O. (2000). Urbanization and Premarital Sex in the Philippines (Master's thesis, College of
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Gorne, E. S. (2006, October 1). Teenage pregnancies and pre-marital sex alarming in Southern Leyte.
Samar News. Retrieved June 8, 2019, from http://www.samarnews.com/news2006/oct/f862.htm
Jolly, J. (2017, Aug 29). Expert Views: Soaring Teen Pregnancy Rates in the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/community/2017/08/29/expert-views-soaring-teen-
pregnancy-rates-in-the-philippines

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One in every 10 Filipina teens is a Mom! (2014, March 8). Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/gender-
stat/announcement/FS-201403-SS2-01
Philippine Council for Health and Research Development. (2014, February 25). More Pinoy youth engage
in risky sexual activities, survey confirms. Retrieved from
http://pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/events/3896-more-pinoy-youth-engage-in-risky-sexual-
activities-survey-confirms
Recide, R. (2014, August 28). Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved from Philippine Statistics
Authority:https://psa.gov.ph/content/one-ten-young-filipino-women-age-15-19-already-mother-
or-pregnant-first-child-final-results
The Negative Effects of Premarital Sex. (n.d.). Retrieved June 9, 2019, from
https://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-negative-effects-of-premarital-sex-j1yCSluV
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