Why is the age of consent typically younger than the age of majority in many countries?
<p>I've always been puzzled at many countries allow teenagers to have sex with each other at 14-15 years old at the youngest but still forbid them from consuming intoxicants until they are 18 or 21. Why do they have some bodily rights but not others?</p>

<h2>There is and never has been a single “age of majority”</h2>
<p>The law treats people of different ages differently for a wide variety of reasons. Just a small sample of typical limits (jurisdictions vary):</p>
<ul>
<li>you must be 4 to go to school</li>
<li>you must be 10 to be criminally responsible</li>
<li>you must be 11 or 13 to get a job in the <a href="/questions/tagged/australian-capital-territory" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;australian-capital-territory&#39;" rel="tag">australian-capital-territory</a> but there is no specific age limit in <a href="/questions/tagged/new-south-wales" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;new-south-wales&#39;" rel="tag">new-south-wales</a></li>
<li>you must be 15 to attend an M-rated movie alone (your rating system may differ)</li>
<li>you must be 16 to get a learner driver permit and 17 to get a provisional licence</li>
<li>you must be 18 to attend an R-rated movie at all</li>
<li>you must be 14-17 years old to have sex depending on the age and relationship with your partner.</li>
<li>you must be 16 to 21 to buy and consume alcohol (jurisdictions vary a lot on this)</li>
<li>you must be 18 to marry without the consent of the court but can be as young as 16 with that consent</li>
<li>you must be 18 to legally take and post sexually explicit pictures of yourself</li>
<li>you must be 18 to get a tattoo</li>
<li>you must be 18 to join the defence force</li>
<li>you must be 18 to vote</li>
<li>you must be 35 to stand for President of the <a href="/questions/tagged/united-states" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;united-states&#39;" rel="tag">united-states</a></li>
</ul>
<p>So tell me, when is <em>the</em> age of majority. There isn’t one - there is simply a long period where an individual is granted progressively more control and responsibility over their life.</p>
<p>Now, as to <em>why</em> some things happen at particular ages, that’s a political question, not a legal one.</p>

consent sexual-assault age