Unprotected sex among female Italian university students: A calculated risk?

Contraception is considered a rational strategy to prevent unwanted births. However, beyond the dichotomy of «planned» and «unplanned» pregnancy, behaviours are sometimes ambivalent or contradictory. The present paper investigates the reasons beyond the non-use of contraception in Italy by examining a large-scale survey of university students conducted in 2000 and 2017. The findings reveal a small but clearly defined group of young female students, cohabiting with their partner and residing in the South of the country, who have a high frequency of sexual intercourses and do not deliberately use any contraceptive method. These findings offer population-based evidence about the existence of a part of female Italian university students that, although not actively trying to have a child, are nevertheless fine to run the risk of pregnancy through unprotected sexual intercourses.