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RELIGION, RELIGIOSITY AND PREMARITAL SEXUAL ATTITUDES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS OF NAIROBI, KENYA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2012

STEPHEN OBENG GYIMAH ,
IVY KODZI ,
JACQUES EMINA ,
NICHOLAS COFIE  and
ALEX EZEH
STEPHEN OBENG GYIMAH
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
IVY KODZI
Affiliation:
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
JACQUES EMINA
Affiliation:
CEPS/INSTEAD, Luxembourg
NICHOLAS COFIE
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
ALEX EZEH
Affiliation:
APHRC, Nairobi, Kenya
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Summary

Although attitudes to premarital sex may be influenced by several factors, the importance of religion to that discourse cannot be underestimated. By providing standards to judge and guide behaviour, religion provides a social control function such that religious persons are expected to act in ways that conform to certain norms. This study investigated the interconnectedness of several dimensions of religion and premarital sexual attitudes among young people in the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. Using reference group as the theoretical base, it was found that those affiliated with Pentecostal/Evangelical faiths had more conservative attitudes towards premarital sex than those of other Christian faiths. Additionally, while a high level of religiosity was found to associate with more conservative views on premarital sex, the effect was more pronounced among Pentecostal groups. The findings are discussed in relation to programmes on adolescent sexuality.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 13 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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