Age at Puberty of Girls and Boys in France. Measurements from a Survey on Adolescent Sexuality.. Measurements from a Survey on Adolescent Sexuality Life tables of male and female puberty were constructed using the Analysis of Sexual Behaviour of Young People ACSJ survey conducted in France in on the generations, at that time aged between 15 and Puberty in girls is identified by the onset of menstruation, at a median age of Using this indicator, a long-term decline in age at puberty has been established for the developed countries as a whole.
This historical change seems to be continuing in France though it has stabilized in several countries. Puberty in boys is harder to identify and there is continuing debate over the choice of a suitable indicator. Using the ACSJ survey, three possible indicators can be suggested: the breaking of the voice median age Of these three indicators, the breaking of the voice appears to be the most satisfactory for identifying male puberty.
Measurements from a Survey on Adolescent Sexuality. Puberty has been defined as "the period in which the child becomes an adolescent" Forrest and Lavasseur, , p. This stage is marked by acquisition of reproductive capacity and by the development of secondary sexual characteristics the word puberty comes from the latin pubes- cere meaning "to become covered in hair". The changes that lead to sexual maturation extend over a period of four to five years.
In girls, the physiological indicator of puberty is the first menstrual flow, known as menarche. This clearly defined and memorable event is used as an indicator for the study of female puberty.
By means of this indicator, a secular fall in age at puberty has been identified for girls in the industrialized countries Eveleth and Tanner, ; Wyshak and Frisch, The most recent French data show that this long-term historical change was still continuing in Ducros and Pasquet, Information about age at menarche is often collected retrospectively in surveys on fertility.
