title: The effect of sexual abstinence on females' educational attainment.
abstract: A number of studies have shown that teenagers who abstain from sex are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college than their sexually active peers. However it is unclear whether this association represents a causal relationship or can be explained by unmeasured heterogeneity. We employ a variety of statistical techniques to distinguish between these hypotheses, using data on females from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Our results provide evidence that delaying first intercourse leads to an increased likelihood of graduating from high school. This relationship appears to be strongest among respondents in the bottom third of the ability distribution. Controlling for fertility reduces, but does not eliminate, the estimated effect of delaying intercourse.
authors.affiliation: American University, Department of Public Administration & Policy, School of Public Affairs, 4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW, 336 Ward Circle Building, Washington, DC 20016, USA. sabia@american.edu
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sabia
authors.forename: Daniel I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Rees
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D003071:Cognition; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult