Where have all the condoms gone? 52% of millennials don’t use them
By: Lauren Weiniger
I stumbled upon the SKYNN Condoms “Millennial sex survey” today, and nearly dropped my coffee when I read the results.
They tried to tout their findings in a positive light: “48% of sexually active millennials say they use Condoms regularly!”
Wait, what?… What about the other 52%!? (ahem, the majority, not that we’re counting)
But while I was shocked to see this in writing, a part of me isn’t all that surprised. I’m a bit of a serial monogamist, generally coupled up in a relationship for few years, with about a year of dating and related sexual exploits in between. When I first started having sex, condoms were expected. Always. Birth control or not, you wrapped it up until well into a relationship, and sometimes all the way through. The AIDS crisis was still fresh in our collective minds, and no amount of mood-killing latex complaints was worth the risk.
Not anymore. Most of my single friends admit to not using condoms every time, or even most of the time. And when I re-entered the single dating world about a year ago, and I started seeing this trend myself. Without digging too far into my personal sex life here, suffice to say it’s shocking how guys just assume that gloves-off from the get-go is the norm (their reactions range from endearing to appalling when I inform them otherwise, but those are stories for another time).
Let me state for the record before we go any further — if you just met someone on Tinder or with any sort of recency, and/or you haven’t verified their most recent STD status — You really should use protection.
But the fact is, most people aren’t. And you’re not alone. Here’s another fun stat from my latest sex research sesh.
66% of women say they’ve never bought a condom.
So maybe this one shouldn’t be all that surprising. I mean he’s the one wearing the thing right? We have an entire aisle of feminine care products to worry about, so most of us leave the awkward condom section to him (I’ll admit, I can easily count my condom purchases on one hand)
But we should be taking more responsibility and control of our sexual health. Here’s one last stat to explain why.
“STDs have reached an all time high in the US”
The CDC released a frightening report last October spelling this out. And women bear the brunt of the consequences (note. I’m talking only about heterosexual sex at the moment to make this point, not to minimize the importance or risks for the gay community)
- It’s much easier for women to contract the infections. Yes STDs are sexist, and they definitely discriminate.
- Once we do, we’re stuck with a disproportionate mess of life-altering consequences, including cancer (cervical cancer rates have skyrocketed thanks to HPV) and infertility.
So I’m going to start buying my own condoms. A few awkward moments at the CVS checkout counter is a small price to pay for a lifetime of healthy sex, don’t you agree?
That said, condoms alone aren’t enough. I know I just got finished telling you to use them, but while they’re super important condoms don’t protect against everything. The most important thing we can do to protect ourselves is to make sure our partners have been tested recently (and can prove it).
This last piece used to be all but impossible, but not anymore. The Safely app lets you privately show your verified STD status on your phone, and check your partner's status. It also makes it super easy and affordable to get tested, so there’s no excuse not to (for either of you!). It’s 100% private and imports results direct from your doctor or lab, so there’s no faking it (cause who wants to fake anything in the bedroom, amiright? ) Let’s start taking control of our sexual health ladies. After all, if we don’t respect and protect ourselves, who will?
Let’s make the the world a safer (and more fun) place to be.
Have fun. Save Lives. #doitsafely
