Literal question
Now, I would like to ask you some questions about sexual activity in order to gain a better understanding of some important life issues.
The information you supply will remain strictly confidential.
How old were you when you had sexual intercourse for the very first time?
Interviewer instructions
It is very important that you read the first sentence, and to emphasize to the respondent that her responses will remain strictly confidential. If necessary, explain to her once again that the information she shares with you will only be used for statistical purposes; that her name will never be revealed; and her responses will not be shared with others in the community or elsewhere.
The age we are asking about is the age of the respondent the very first time she had sexual intercourse. It does not matter whether the woman continued to have a relationship with this person. We are not asking about the first time with her current partner, but rather, the first experience of sexual intercourse in her entire life.
If the response is 'Never had intercourse', circle '00' and skip to the next module. Otherwise, enter the age in years on the line provided. If she was less than 10 years old, use a zero to fill in the first space.
If the respondent tells you that her first time was when she started living with her first husband, record her response by circling '95'. You will have collected this information in the Marriage/Union module. If the respondent says that her first time was with her first husband, but it was before they began living together, probe for the respondent's age at the time.
If the respondent says she does not know how old she was when she first had intercourse, probe by relating it to how old she was when she first married or had her first child. However, when doing this probing, be certain not to assume that the first time she had sex was at the time of her first marriage. If she has never married and/or never had children, you can probe by relating the timing of the first intercourse to whether she was going to school at the time, or to places that she might have lived. The respondent should feel comfortable in taking her time to think about her response to remember correctly.
