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25th February 2025
01:40pm GMT
Women should not have sex until they are engaged, a feminist author has said.
Louise Perry claimed that casual sex, dating apps, pornography and the normalisation of sexual kinks are putting women at risk.
The writer and podcaster told the Sunday Times that society would benefit from returning to traditional values about sex.
The 33-year-old said receiving a diamond ring before sex was a good insurance policy to prevent conceiving with an unsuitable life partner.
Perry said: "Even if you’re using contraception, there is always the risk that you will get pregnant.
"You do not want to get pregnant with a man who doesn’t care if you get hit by a bus.
"A diamond ring is a good strategy. It’s a significant investment which socially you can’t just back out of."
The writer's latest book A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century: The Young Adult Adaptation, explores how the sexual revolution impacted women.
She draws on her experience working in a rape crisis centre, is aimed at a younger audience than The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, her 2021 bestseller.
The new work was written for 15 to 17 year-olds, after a father told her he wanted a less explicit version for his daughter.
She told the Sunday Times: "Having sex is one of the most consequential things a woman can do."
The author acknowledged that contraception has reduced the chances of pregnancy but that there were so many 'pitfalls' to premarital sex including diseases and being a victim of violence.
Data from the Office for National Statistics last year showed that the proportion of married people in England and Wales had fallen below 50 per cent for the first time.
In her latest book, the final chapter – Listen to your mother – advises women to stay away from dating apps, says that chivalry is 'a good thing', and argues that 'all girls and women should avoid being alone with men'.
Perry added that there are a lot of people who 'cannot make good sexual decisions, not least teenage girls'.
