Exploring Associations between Mobility and Sexual Experiences among Unmarried Young People: Evidence from India

This study examines mobility (short-term movement involving stays away from home) among unmarried youths in India and its association with their sexual experiences. We look at unmarried young women and men aged 15 to 24 from rural and urban areas in six states in India—Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Data are drawn from a subnationally representative study of Indian youths, in which 11,522 young men and 17,362 young women were interviewed face-to-face at their usual residences. The study finds that one-third and one-fifth of young men and women, respectively, had experienced mobility. Mobile youths were more likely than nonmobile youths to experience romantic relationships and initiate sex before marriage. Moreover, among the sexually experienced, mobile young men were more likely than others to report multiple sexual partners.