Modern women are making many strides in the present day Indian society. We see them piloting planes, running businesses and working as management staff in many multinational corporations. Gone are the days, when women were denied education and made to do all domestic work. Now they have significant amount of freedom and the means to enjoy all the good as well as bad things in this world.

I recently read an article in a leading national newspaper about modern day women being liberated from sexual inhibitions. It went on to say that college goers and young career women were exploring pre-marital sexual freedom before marriage like men did, and have plenty of encounters with men of their tastes. And the article proclaimed ‘now is the age of the liberated woman.’

What we are watching now is that young women are becoming more promiscuous in India at young ages. There is a tremendous influence by the media on this modern liberated view on sex, portraying sexuality in everything including advertisements, soaps, reality shows, etc. They seem to impress that the hourglass figure and wonderful smiles of women are all it takes to show off ourselves and that is all it matters. The mantra of modern day women is to "enjoy today when you have it in you. Tomorrow never comes!"

Does this kind of lifestyle produce any guilt feelings? There are some really bad consequences of sleeping around. I want to share my thoughts about two important areas that women sharing these views may be unaware of - the dangerous consequences of this kind of sex before marriage with different partners. If young women are really concerned about their looks and well being, this should serve as a deterrent.

First, there is no known cure for the deadly AIDS disease. Herpes, pelvic diseases, syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can wreak havoc on our lives and leave women infertile. Life with a STD is not easy; there is pain, infection, endless visits to the doctors, humiliating medical tests, social isolation, risk of permanent sterility, guilt and shame. And ugly and painful sores are not pleasant to live with either.

Second, marriage is held as holy union in our country. The family is a respected unit in society. An affair can spell the death knell for any marriage. Infected women cannot find decent life partners and if they do, the disease cannot be concealed for long. This truth is no better than posing every reason to break up their marriage later on. And then, the infected woman runs the risk of passing it on to her unborn child. The list of undesirable consequences goes on and on. Careless young women run a risk of losing it all and living a life of loneliness, suffering, poverty and guilt.

This kind of a lifestyle ruins people involved in it, their careers and the lives of their young children. I hope that young women reading this will pause for a moment to think about it. It is great to have rewarding careers and enjoy life. But there are many clean ways of fun. There are shopping malls, beauty parlours, movie theatres, beaches and other hangouts to chill out. After completing education and getting a good job, think about the person you want to marry. Save yourself for the person you love. You can enjoy a lifetime of safe sex with your life partner.

Do take a pledge to avoid sex before marriage. Even if your peers make fun of you, do stand firm. They won’t tease you years later, when you are decently married. You too won’t regret it later. You can enjoy a young, free and liberated you.

- Jeslyne Jeyaraj