Thai parents have always frowned on premarital sex, and yet their message is falling on deaf ears. Why are Thai teens doing it sooner than their peers in the West? Why is it so hard to educate youngsters about the birds and the bees?
Despite Thai parents’ stern preaching on virginity and their rigid stance against premarital sex, the problem of pregnancies outside wedlock remains rife. Thai girls have been taught since childhood to rak nuan sa-nguan tua, meaning to take pride in being “untouched” and “sexually reserved”.