Peer effects in sexual initiation: Separating demand and supply mechanisms

Seth Richards‐Shubik
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Seth Richards-Shubik ()

Quantitative Economics, 2015, vol. 6, issue 3, 663-702

Abstract: Most work on social interactions studies a single, composite effect of interactions within a group. Yet in the case of sexual initiation, there are two distinct social mechanisms—peer‐group norms and partner availability—with separate effects and different potential interventions. Here I develop an equilibrium search and matching model for first sexual partners that specifies distinct roles for these two mechanisms as part of demand and supply. I estimate the model using a national sample of high school students, with data over time on individual virginity status. The results indicate that peer‐group norms have a large effect on the timing of sexual initiation for both boys and girls. Changes in opposite‐gender search behavior (i.e., partner availability) also have a large impact on initiation rates for boys, but not for girls.

Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Working Paper: Peer Effects in Sexual Initiation: Separating Demand and Supply Mechanisms (2012)
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