Feminism and Gender Politics + Sex Education

Question 1

Explain: abstinence-only model of sexual education

Answer 1

• missing: emotional content/managing a relationship, explicit info on a wide range of topics/practices
• uses fear and shame-based tactics to spread their message.
• considered as a woman’s domain which further promotes the idea that it is her morality that is on the line
• lack of education about reproductive choices other than procreation

Question 2

Explain: ‘Warning Daughters’ discourse

Answer 2

• cautionary tales, communicating mistrust of men/boys, and low expectations for sex
• little to say about sexual pleasure and intimacy
• basically “don’t do this” and that was the bottom line rather than actually discussing and being open and engaging and talking about the pros and cons of how a relationship should work

Question 3

Explain: Missing Discourse of Desire (Fine)

Answer 3

• inviting adolescents to explore what feels good and bad, desirable and undesirable
• grounded in experiences, needs, and limits
• would release females from a position of receptivity
• enable an analysis of the dialectics of victimization and pleasure
• would pose female adolescents as subjects of sexuality, initiators as well as negotiators

Question 4

Explain: criticques of protective discourses of sexuality

Answer 4

Positions young people as:
1. reckless, easily pressured, unknowledgeable, or unwise to consequences, rather than as a human being who seeks a sexual relationship and pleasure within it
2. preferably non-sexual, not entitled to pleasure and unready for this knowledge
Leads to seeking information elsewhere:
-starts with young people questioning the information that’s been taught to them
-alternative sources might not be self-defined as educational and thus are capable of promoting misinformation, where young women’s interests might not be a priority, ex. porn
-internet as a safe place to explore: anonymity, availability, acceptability, and aloneness

Question 5

What does a feminist sex education look like?

Answer 5

• all genders have ownership of thier individual bodies and desires
• sexuality and pleasure are valuable experiences in their own right
• prochoice, supports the use of, and encourages complete access to, contraception, safer sex and preventative, holistic sexual healthcare for all
• public policies for women should not be made exclusively or primarily by men
• encourages consent as active, not passive

Question 6

Advantages to a sex-positive approach to sex education

Answer 6

• sexual information is framed in a much more diverse/inclusive and critical way, less heteronormative
• Helps to develop an understanding that female desire is not shameful/dangerous, that women are not responsible for men’s sexual behaviour
• Increased confidence, the ability to acknowledge sexual desire and claim sexual pleasure, and a new level of knowledge that made them feel equal to, and less reliant upon, males
• participants discussed feeling less guilt about being sexual beings, and indicated they were no longer ignorant or ashamed of their bodies