Obstacles to sex education in the 21^st century
Mª.V. Carrera Fernández, M. Lameiras Fernández, Y. Rodríguez Castro

SUMMARY

In this article we discuss the main obstacles to sex education, still present at the beginning of the 21 st century both in Spain and abroad. We briefly describe the current model of sex education, a combination of the moral/conservative and the risk/preventionist models. These models are characterised by an apparently permissive attitude toward sexuality, but in reality their underlying message reaffirms the traditional view of sexuality as being in some way morally suspect. Today's model of sex education also emphasizes the maintenance of physical health by focusing on preventing the possible negative consequences associated with sexual activity (e.g. sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies). At the same time, present-day sex education programmes continue to promote a biologically-based model whereby sexuality is presented as revolving primarily around sexual intercourse and genitalia, rather than presenting a broader perspective. In this way, current sex education programmes continue to transmit traditional, sexist ideas regarding human sexuality to yet another generation of young people.

KEY WORDS

Sex education, moral-preventionist models, sexism, sexuality.