Why young people in Spain are having less sex

Young people and sens: why aren't they having it like they used to?

Statistics show a historic drop in sensual activity among young Spaniards, but the explanations are far from unanimous. While some blame a culture war against masculinity and the incivil of courtship, others point to economic precarity and the omnipresence of screens. Far from being settled, the debate reveals deep fractures in society.

The ideological hypothesis: feminism and permanent suspicion
The most deterministic view holds that the barrage of radical feminist discourse has demonised male heterosenshetero and turned any approach into an act of harassment. Laws such as the 'only yes means yes' law (Spain's consent-based sensual offences law) are seen as a risk for men, who choose to hold back. Added to this is female hypergamy encouraged by social media, where women have an endless supply of virtual suitors and demand unrealistic standards. This analysis, however, clashes with the evidence that the decline in desire is global and also affects conservative environments.

The material hypothesis: precarity, porn and digital loneliness
The alternative explanation focuses on structural factors: late independence due to the housing crisis, precarious wages and a lack of affordable social spaces. At the same time, free porn and dating apps have severed sens from social effort, producing instant gratification that atrophies initiative. The cheap dopamine of screens replaces real desire, while poor diet and sedentary lifestyles drain physical energy. In this view, the problem is not ideological but material: there is no time, money or space for sens.

The myth of the past: did people have more sens under Franco?
One of the most recurring debates revolves around nostalgia for a supposed sensual golden age under the Franco dictatorship. Defenders of this thesis argue that repression created a pent-up desire that exploded in intimacy. Critics, on the other hand, point out that the lack of contraception and social pressure led to many unwanted pregnancies, and that domestic violence and trips to Perpignan for abortions were commonplace. The idea of a bygone sensual paradise seems more a generational myth than a proven reality.

The question remains open: are we facing an irreversible cultural shift or simply an adjustment driven by economic circumstances? The missing piece of data is whether the new generations will recover their libido when – and if – the situation improves.

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