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Sex Education and Sexual Socialization: Roles for Educators and Parents

Article  in  Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health · July 2007

DOI: 10.1363/3911607 · Source: PubMed

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 V I E W P O I N T

Sex Education and Sexual Socialization:

Roles for Educators and Parents

By Ronny A. Sexuality is an essential component of healthy develop- beyond dispensing knowledge to include the develop-
Shtarkshall, John ment for young people. Both the World Health Organi- ment of personal and social skills.11 By promoting sexual
S. Santelli and zation and the report from the 1994 International literacy, sex education can contribute to psychosocial
Jennifer S. Hirsch Conference on Population and Development emphasize development and well-being throughout adolescence
the importance of healthy sexual development to overall and adulthood. The absence of sexual literacy can be
mental and physical well-being.1,2 In 2001, U.S. Surgeon the source of many health and social hazards, including
Ronny A. Shtarkshall
General David Satcher echoed these sentiments, stating STDs and unintended pregnancy.
is head of the Social
Science and Health that, ‘‘sexuality is an integral part of human life,’’ and Socialization, in contrast, is the process through which
Behavior Program, ‘‘sexual health is inextricably bound to both physical and an individual acquires an understanding of ideas, beliefs
Braun School of mental health.’’3 and values, shared cultural symbols, meanings and codes
Public Health, and of Despite the widely recognized importance of sexual of conduct.10 Sexual socialization of babies and children
community medicine health, education to promote it remains a sensitive and begins at home, where parents have the opportunity to
at the Hebrew Uni-
sometimes controversial issue. Underlying the social emphasize their most deeply held values (whether or not
versity and Hadassah
Medical Organiza- conflicts that surround sex education programs are these are shared by mainstream society). From a very
tion, Jerusalem. John disagreements about the role of government in family life young age, children are exposed to messages about
S. Santelli is professor and sex education; parental control of the content of sex modesty, nudity and privacy, including gender-specific
of clinical population education; core values to be included in sex education, messages about proper conduct. Parental responses to
and family health and such as gender equality and personal responsibility; and, infant masturbation, displays of physical affection
clinical pediatrics,
fundamentally, what constitutes appropriate adolescent between parents and the instruction children receive
Heilbrunn Depart-
ment of Population sexual behavior.4–7 The array of popular literature and about appropriate physical contact with others influence
and Family Health; research on the topic (for example, see Woody8 or Blakey children’s understanding of their own sexuality. Discus-
and Jennifer S. Hirsch and Frankland9) indicates that parents of all political sions of physical differences between men and women
is associate professor stripes feel uncomfortable approaching their children and parents’ responses to the ways in which children use
of sociomedical about sexual matters. Yet liberal and conservative views sexual language help shape children’s awareness of
sciences—both at the
on the appropriate manner of providing sex education sexuality. Parents teach children about their values and
Mailman School of
Public Health, remain widely divergent. Central to disagreements about behavioral expectations through these explicit and
Columbia University, sex education have been questions about the basic implicit messages and actions. These essential forms of
New York. premises and content of sex education and about who early sexual socialization12,13 are generally not consid-
is best able to provide it—i.e., whether parents or schools ered part of formal sex education.
should be the primary sex educators. Sexual socialization also takes place outside the home
In this commentary, we propose that clarifying the as children and adolescents observe community norms,
distinction between sex education and sexual socializa- consume mass media, and participate in cultural and
tion will help resolve some aspects of this controversy. We religious activities. This sexual socialization includes
argue that promoting healthy sexuality is not the exclu- learning about religious values, which may include views
sive domain of parents or educators; instead, we support of sexuality as a divine gift and sex as limited to marriage.
a collaboration between home and school that best pro- Children and adolescents are also exposed to a diversity
vides adolescents with the tools they need to become of cultural viewpoints on abortion, birth control and
sexually healthy adults. gender roles. Such issues sometimes remain unaddressed
in schools, as teachers may feel reluctant to explore these
EDUCATION AND SOCIALIZATION diverse opinions, fearing that such discussions will be
Education is an intentional, structured process to impart perceived as endorsing or refuting specific religious and
knowledge and skills, and to influence an individual’s cultural values. However, exploring and understanding
developmental course.10 Literacy involves more than both family and community influences on sexuality is
learning facts and identifying symbols; it encompasses an integral component of sex education.
the skills needed to combine knowledge in a meaningful We believe that three sets of considerations—adolescent
way, allowing one to express ideas, make decisions and development, parental influence on adolescent behavior,
solve problems. Research on sex education suggests that and parents’ and adolescents’ preferences—help clarify
effective programs should promote sexual literacy—going parents’ roles in sexual socialization and professional

116 Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health

 sex educators’ roles in improving sexual literacy and only after adolescents initiate coitus.31 And finally,
health. parents and adolescents often disagree on what was
First, theories of adolescent development support the actually discussed, suggesting that parents may not be
idea that while parents are, and should be, the primary communicating the messages they think they are.
socializing agents for most children, they may not be the A third set of considerations pertinent to education and
best providers of specific factual information and social socialization are parent and adolescent preferences con-
skills training.14,15 During adolescence, a young person cerning sex education. Parents express support for a robust
begins to create a new identity, building upon parental role school-based program of sex education, as do large
models but turning increasingly from parents to peers and proportions of young people, who also value the input of
social institutions, such as schools, to define his or her own their parents. A 2004 survey of the parents of middle
social values.16,17 Erikson characterized this key develop- school and high school students in the United States found
mental task as identity formation.15 As part of normal de- overwhelming support for sex education in school: Ninety
velopment, adolescents form new peer relationships and percent believed it was very or somewhat important that
become increasingly interested in romantic and potentially sex education be taught in school, and only 7% did not
intimate sexual partners. In addition, adolescents crave want it to be taught.28 Most parents supported a compre-
privacy in a variety of realms, including matters related to hensive approach emphasizing abstinence, and only 15%
their bodies and their relationships with peers. Conse- wanted abstinence-only sex education.
quently, parents often are the last persons an adolescent A study from Israel asked adolescents about their
will consult for information about new physical and social degree of preference for each of four possible sites for
realities; rather, peers, educators and other adults may sex education: home, school, clinics, and youth move-
become important new data sources and confidants. ment or community centers.32 The majority of both males
Second, research on parental influences on adolescent and females of all grades put school as their preferred
sexuality suggests that while parents influence their source of sex education and home as their last choice;
children in critical ways, they rarely provide the type of one-quarter of surveyed youth wanted parents to be their
information that schools or health programs do.18 Paren- primary source. A study in the United Kingdom sug-
tal monitoring and parent-adolescent relationship qual- gested that whatever their primary source of sex educa-
ity—forms of socialization—are strongly influential on tion, large proportions of adolescents preferred to receive
adolescents’ sexual behaviors. Parental monitoring, or additional information from parents (33%) and schools
supervision of adolescents’ social activities, has been (34%).33
consistently associated with delayed sexual initiation
and a decrease in sexual risk behavior.19–22 REMAINING ISSUES
Adolescents who describe their relationship with at Clarifying the differences between sex education and
least one parent as warm and supportive, compared with sexual socialization does not solve all issues in the
those who do not describe their relationships this way, ongoing debate over sex education. Left to be clarified
are more likely to delay the initiation of sexual activity and are the roles of health educators in teaching social skills
less likely to engage in frequent sexual intercourse.23–25 and secular values. Many health education professionals
Connectedness to family (as well as to school) is another support and are trained in the provision of instruction
important factor in reducing adolescent sexual risk- about social skills, such as how to refuse sex and negotiate
taking. When parents disapprove of adolescent sexual condom use, as part of comprehensive sex education.
activity, adolescents are less likely to be sexually active However, teaching these skills may appear to undermine
and, if they are sexually active, tend to have fewer sex parents’ values concerning proper sexual conduct. Like-
partners.23,26,27 wise, the question of who is best prepared for and should
By itself, however, verbal communication between be given the role of teaching secular values, such as
parents and adolescents seems to have little or no responsibility, honesty and respect for diversity, remains
influence on initiation of sexual intercourse or selected unanswered. Schools have traditionally taught about
other sexual behaviors.28 Many adolescents find it diffi- such values as they relate to children’s conduct in school
cult to talk to their parents about sex, and the majority of and the formation of a strong citizenry. One can argue for
parents, especially fathers, feel uncomfortable broaching a shared responsibility between parents and professionals
the subject.29,30 For example, in one study, adolescents in teaching about values, but parent beliefs will not always
reported that communications with their parents on coincide with secular beliefs, particularly as they apply
sexual topics not only were infrequent, but commonly to sexual behavior.
were limited in scope and included only certain family
members (mothers and daughters, for example).30 CONCLUSIONS
Parents often have incomplete or inaccurate information Both parents and educators have essential roles in
on issues such as the medical effectiveness and safety of fostering sexual literacy and sexual health. We believe
condoms and other contraceptives. In addition, commu- that parents should play the primary role in imparting
nication with parents about sexual matters often happens to their children social, cultural and religious values

Volume 39, Number 2, June 2007 117

Sex Education and Sexual Socialization: Roles for Educators and Parents

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 28. National Public Radio, Kaiser Family Foundation and John F. 32. Shtarkshall RA, Carmel S and Woloski-Wruble A, Survey on
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Volume 39, Number 2, June 2007 119

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