Men most likely to have unprotected sex with causual partner; Women test more for STI's

Last year, 5 percent of Netherlands residents aged 16 and older had sex without a condom with a casual partner. Men are more likely to have risky sex than women, and people in their twenties more often than other age groups. Women get tested for sexually transmitted infections more often than men.

This is according to the Lifestyle Monitor conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the sexual health organizations Rutgers, and the STI organization Soa Aids Nederland.

People in their twenties are most inclined to engage in risky sex. Last year, 11 percent in this age group indicated that they had sex with a casual partner without a condom in the preceding 12 months. “This number decreases as people get older, partly because older people more often only have sex with a steady partner,” CBS said.

Men (5.9%) have risky sex more often than women (3.6%). The difference is greatest among people in their twenties, where 14 percent of men and 8 percent of women had risky sex at least once in the past year.

Women’s tendency to be safer when it comes to sex is also reflected in STI testing. Women are more likely to get tested for an STI than men, with 5.5 percent of women getting tested last year, compared to 3.6 percent of men. The difference is greatest in the 20 to 30-year-old age group, where 13.3 percent of women and 6.3 percent of men got tested for an STI other than HIV.

When it comes to HIV tests, the difference between men and women is minimal. Last year, 2.7 percent of men and 2.8 percent of women got tested for HIV in the preceding 12 months.

People who have risky sex are more likely to be tested for HIV and other STIs than those who don’t. Of those who have had risky sex, 21 percent have been tested for HIV, and 28 percent for another STI. Of those who have not had risky sex, 2 percent have been tested for HIV, and 4 percent for other STIs.

Of sexually active women between the ages of 16 and 50, 77 percent use contraception. The pill (27%) and condoms (27%) are most common, followed by hormonal IUDs (17%) and copper IUDs (5%). Two percent of women have been surgically sterilized, and 6 percent have a sterilized partner. For 3 percent of women, it is the partner who uses contraception.