1. This is a mature topic only intended for people who've at least begun puberty. If you are less than 13 years old then I pray you don't have any reason to concern yourself with this yet, and you should ask a trustworthy adult before reading this. (My Family in the Bible page (here) is meant for all ages.)
2. This summary is not intended for general counseling, it is for those who want to know what the Bible says on this topic, and for those who claim the Bible is silent or says the opposite, plus a little commentary to get us started on what it means and how all this fits in a Biblical worldview.
God is not a micromanager, but His Word is not silent about gender-specific behavior. We're supposed to know all we need to know intuitively (Genesis 4:7) but since our culture has encouraged us to forget or dismiss, it's helpful to have these reminders. If your intuition contradicts the Bible then be humble and trust God (Malachi 3:10). Here is a fairly exhaustive list of ways God's word specifically tells each gender to behave. Notice how short these lists are.
Instructions for male character (girls: look for this, guys: live and model it)
Why are these lists for males & females1 so short if the Bible is so long? Because the whole rest of the Bible was written to everyone. These verses were just those that are super specific to gender identity. There are hundreds of verses with lots more good character advice for everyone.
We all start our lives as single individuals. Most cultures in human history have shared the concept of marriage as a natural part of life. God gives us advice in the Bible about what it means to be single (before we marry).
Sometimes being a virgin saved people's lives (Numbers 31:17-18 and Judges 21:11).2 To be single should mean to be celibate, stay a virgin, and be "pure." To be clear, in contexts like this being "pure" is a euphemism for delaying sex until (and restricting it to an airtight) marriage. In other words, we are to abstain from sex. For many of us, since we are sexual creatures, abstinence is too difficult to sustain forever, so God gave us a constructive, healthy option, called marriage, which we'll explore next.
