Irish women talk about their attitudes towards sex and dating

It’s an age old question – how many partners should a woman have had? Much has been said about the double standard attached to a woman’s choice of partners versus that of a man, and many women talk down their number of partners (or consciously limit it) in order to not come across as “easy”. In Ireland, where religion is still a strong element of many people’s lives, it’s relatively common for women to choose to limit their number of partners, with a significant number choosing to wait until marriage before having sex.

The Belfast Telegraph recently asked a number of Irish women about their attitudes towards sex, not forgetting to include some women for whom things are far less conservative. Interestingly, out of 5 women chosen for this article, only two women reported to have had sex with a relatively large number of partners and one of them was originally from Germany so was not raised in Ireland. Both were young, though young age didn’t seem to necessarily mean being more promiscuous. Older age may well imply a more conservative attitude towards sex, though.

Although a sample of 5 women is hardly representative, the article does give some sort of insight into the attitudes Irish women, both single and married have towards sex. I’m sure many readers would be able to identify with one or more of the women interviewed.

There is increasing talk (backed by research) of changing attitudes towards dating, co-habiting, relationship and marriage among young Irish men and women, making me wonder whether questions like “how many sexual partners should a woman have had?” will one day become irrelevant. I’d be interested to know what you think.

Written by Shimrit Elisar
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Irish women talk about their attitudes towards sex and dating

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