Economics are an obvious factor in explaining the gap. So are cultural attitudes towards sex. This New Yorker article from 2008 digs into the political/cultura

Economics are an obvious factor in explaining the gap. So are cultural attitudes towards sex. This New Yorker article from 2008 digs into the political/cultural factors behind it: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/03/red-sex-blue-sex https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/03/red-sex-blue-s... Some of these differences in sexual behavior come down to class and education. Regnerus and Carbone and Cahn all see a new and distinct “middle-class morality” taking shape among economically and socially advantaged families who are not social conservatives. In Regnerus’s survey, the teen-agers who espouse this new morality are tolerant of premarital sex (and of contraception and abortion) but are themselves cautious about pursuing it. Regnerus writes, “They are interested in remaining free from the burden of teenage pregnancy and the sorrows and embarrassments of sexually transmitted diseases. They perceive a bright future for themselves, one with college, advanced degrees, a career, and a family. Simply put, too much seems at stake. Sexual intercourse is not worth the risks.” These are the kids who tend to score high on measures of “strategic orientation”—how analytical, methodical, and fact-seeking they are when making decisions. Because these teen-agers see abstinence as unrealistic, they are not opposed in principle to sex before marriage—just careful about it. Accordingly, they might delay intercourse in favor of oral sex, not because they cherish the idea of remaining “technical virgins” but because they assess it as a safer option.