The Importance Of Sex Education

Introduction:

Over the past several years there has been concern amongst researchers and policy makers over the increasing presence of sex and sexuality in the media and the hyper-sexualization of youth (Papodopolus, 2010). However, there is clear acknowledgement that sexuality is a critical aspect of the human experience and that sexual health plays an important role in both physical and mental health (Satcher, 2001). Thus, sex education in schools provides a medium for students to learn about potentially embarrassing or confusing subjects in a safe and less sexually charged environment than presented in the media, and builds a formal framework for teenagers to receive information and make informed decisions on actions that can impact their

Studies clearly reveal that sex education improves health outcomes, impacting teen pregnancy rates, STI rates, and age of first intercourse (Koehler, Manhart, and Lafferty, 2008). These are the effects of sex education on health, but what if those effects extended beyond the physical? My paper will explore changing views on what defines the efficacy of sex education. While traditional research and data on sex education focuses purely on health impacts, research over the past several years suggests that the impacts of sex education move beyond health. Studies demonstrate sex education’s effects on social-emotional outcomes, such as increased interest in sexual/social justice, increased civic engagement, and increased academic achievement (Ashcraft, 2008; Fields,

First proposed in the early 20th century as a solution for eliminating venereal disease, sex education ultimately became bound up with the larger historical efforts of politicians, policy makers, and citizens alike to “regulate sexual morality through control of sexual speech” (Irvine, pg. 6, 2002). In the early 20th century, sex education in schools was advocated for as a way of dealing with what was viewed as a national trend of loosening morals, which required a discussion of sex in order to manage the increased sexual drive and activity of youth (Carter, 2001). From the 1920’s through the 1950’s sex education in schools was family centric, focusing on sexuality’s success as existing only within the confines of wedlock, and enlisting a strong push towards marriage in most aspects of curriculum (Moran, 2000). However, many years later in the 1960’s, as discussion of sexuality in the media and popular culture increased, a debate arose as to how and if, sex should be discussed in the classroom (Moran, 2000; Irvine,