The study, which surveyed more than 12,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 69, reports the average age of first sexual intercourse to be 17.2 years for French men, and 17.6 for women down from nearly 20 years among females in 1996. (Comparable figures in the U.S. show average age for first intercourse as 17.3 years for males and 17.5 for women.) The number of lifetime sexual partners is also on the rise: French women between the ages of 30 and 49 report an average 5.1 amants in their lives (compared to 4 in 1992 and 1.5 in 1970). Men of the same age group give considerably higher numbers 12.9 partners today but have changed little over those declared in 1992 (12.6) and 1970 (12.. Meanwhile, the percentage of people saying they'd had only one sexual partner in their lives has fallen from 43% in 1992 for women to 34% today, compared to 16% among men (down from 18% and 21% in 1970 and 1992 respectively). Fully 90% of women over the age of 50 say they remain sexually active, a big jump from 50% in 1970.
. Meanwhile, the percentage of people saying they'd had only one sexual partner in their lives has fallen from 43% in 1992 for women to 34% today, compared to 16% among men (down from 18% and 21% in 1970 and 1992 respectively). Fully 90% of women over the age of 50 say they remain sexually active, a big jump from 50% in 1970.
