Sex Education

Sex education refers to a number of different approaches and strategies for teaching and learning about sex and sexuality. As with all forms of education, sociologists see sex education as being inherently value laden and never a matter of disinterested inquiry or instruction. The form, content, and practices of sex education vary depending on context and [Page 698]culture, and it is very often an area of the school curriculum that is subject to political contestation and moral campaigning from liberals and conservatives alike. Sex education in schools can currently be considered as falling into three broad categories: first, programs explicitly promoting sexual abstinence; second, approaches that are more comprehensive but which emphasize avoiding sexual activity by focusing on disease, danger, and sexual reproduction; third, progressive ...