Staying on Script: Sexual Scripts and Sex Education

Abstract

Existing research suggests that men and women develop differing sexual scripts that influence their behavior, interactions and emotions regarding sex. The objective for this project is to examine the experiences of men and women with formal sex education programs, especially in regards to information about: anatomy and biology, sexual responsibility and risk taking, sexual desire, virginity and abstinence, as well as to explore sources of sex education outside of school. Several studies suggest masculine sexual scripts dictate that men generally construct a more body-focused approach to sex, with an emphasis on competition, aggression and achievement. Conversely, emphasized feminine sexual scripts call for a more emotion-focused approach to sex that stresses selfcontrol, resistance and sexual 'gatekeeping'. One of the explanations for this is adolescents' experience with formal sex education in school. Gendered messages in sex education that reproduce dominant sexual scripts have the potential to reinforce sexual double standards that affirm male desire and regulate female desire. Previous studies have determined school to be a place where individuals develop scripts that guide them through many aspects of social life. While one recent study has pointed to the existence of gendered messages in sex education films, there is little research on how men's and women's experiences with formal sex education influence their interaction with different sexual scripts.Additionally, this research recognizes that interaction with sexual scripts occurs in a multitude of settings over the life course, and although formal sex education is the focus ii of this analysis because of the explicit messages communicated to adolescents during a very formative stage, other more informal sources of sexual information (i.e. family, peers, and the internet) are explored in comparison with school-based sex education. The findings of this study indicate a gendered patter in access to sexual scripts, drawing from participants' accounts of their sex education experiences in school, as well as important differences in the messages, or scripts communicated to them about sex from friends, family and online. Most notably, men and women generally recount interaction with scripts that reinforce traditional masculine and feminine sexuality in formal, school-based sex education programs. However, sexual learning from more informal sources, like from families and the internet, indicate possible shifts in traditional gendered sexuality, especially for women. In contrast, studies focused on sexual learning in the family note that daughters hear much more about sex from their parents than do sons, indicating more exposure to sexual This project examines the experiences of men and women with school-based sex education programs, especially in regard to information about: anatomy and biology, 4 sexual responsibility and risk taking, sexual desire, virginity and abstinence. This project also compares experiences with additional sources of sex ed...

Gay Men and Lesbian Women Who Become Parents in the Context of a Former Heterosexual Relationship: An Explorative Study in Italy

“…The focus on heteronormative sex education can impede sexual minority students from learning about safe sexual practices that are congruent with their sexual identities and/or behaviors (Formby, 2011;Hauck, 2015). The lack of inclusion of sexual minority identities in formalized sex education can also lead to higher occurrences of negative mental health outcomes including depression and suicidal ideation (Blake et al, 2001;Lindley & Walsemann, 2015;Pound et al, 2016).…”

“…Fisher (2009) concluded that gay and bisexual individuals are unable to form positive sexual identities in non-inclusive sex education programs like AOUM. The inability to form a positive identity can lead individuals to even question their own mental health due to the lack of normalization of sexual identities not congruent with heteronormative expectations (Hauck, 2015;Pound et al, 2016).…”

Influence of Sexuality Programmes on the Youth in the Deliverance Church in Kisumu County, Kenya

“…Other studies have researched formal sex education offered to the youth in schools. Hauck (2015) examined the experiences of men and women with school-based sex education programmes in regard to sexual scripts offered to them during sex education sessions. Few studies have focused on sex education offered by the church to the youth.…”