The literature on sexual behavior, including its characteristics, explanatory factors and consequences, is very abundant. Unfortunately, little or no work addresses the life courses and the influence of cultural and socioeconomic heritage patterns in which sexual activity occurs at the beginning of women's fertile lives. This article examines the sexual behavior of adolescent girls between 2006 and 2018 in Benin through the lens of capabilities. Data from the last three (03) Benin Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 2006 and 2018 were used to identify factors associated with early sexuality among adolescent girls in Benin.The variable explained was first early sexual intercourse. The discrete-time logistic regression method used led to the results that, taking into account the effect of duration and timing variables, the factors associated with early sexual debut in adolescence are residence in the departments of Atacora/Donga and Alibori/Borgou; low level of schooling or lack of schooling; and membership in a religion of Muslim and Christian persuasion. Taking into account the standard of living of the households and the activity carried out by the adolescents, it is noted that adolescents living in an environment of average standard of living have significantly different sexual behaviors from other adolescents in recent years. The risk of early sexual debut is greater in this social group, all other things being equal. Social position, educational background, and cultural identity are among the factors that influence adolescents' ability to manage their own sexuality.

Contraceptive use is very low in Benin despite efforts to reposition family planning as a priority in the National Health Development Plan. This article aims to identify the determinants of modern contraceptive use by adolescents in changing contexts in Benin. We explore the extent to which and by what processes the socioeconomic environment, women's empowerment, fertility norms, and access to family planning information and services influence contraceptive use by adolescents. Data from the Demographic Surveys covering the years 2006, 2011-2012 and 2017-2018 were used. A series of random-effect logit regression models are run separately for each period to examine the variation in modern contraceptive use explained by the four selected spheres of influence at the community level. Data exploration reveals that contraceptive prevalence among adolescents is declining regardless of marital status between 2006 and 2017-2018 at different rates. The rate of reduction is more pronounced among married adolescents (71.6%) compared to single adolescents (52.9%) over the same period. The four areas of influence identified had significant net effects on the variation in contraceptive prevalence among adolescents, showing that the context in which adolescents live partly explains their likelihood of having a low capacity and opportunity for contraceptive use at this age. The meaning of age in community settings influences adolescents' chances of using modern contraception.