Friday, March 12, 2010

Fumbling in the dark

Is sex education in our schools any more advanced than it was 40 years ago? By Denise Ryan.

''I don't approve of young girls being on the pill,'' said my mother, staring at the recently acquired cleavage. ''Oh really,'' I replied airily, suddenly absorbed in washing the dishes.

It was the late '70s and all was well with the world. Clad in an embroidered top and flared jeans, I was about to start university and was madly in love. The ample bosom was oestrogen-induced. I had just started taking the contraceptive pill and, back then, the dosage was high, resulting in an instant Dolly Parton effect.

I was taking the pill without really understanding how it worked. I had chosen the packet of pretty pink pills at the Family Planning Association because I didn't really understand the options. I knew condoms weren't fail-safe, and was still mystified by the strange curly pieces of white plastic that a visiting educator had shown in my only significant sex education class at high school.

''These are IUDs,'' she said, waving them about but not explaining exactly what they did. For the life of me I could not figure out how an alien piece of plastic could prevent pregnancy. When I later realised that these freaky-looking objects were embedded inside you, I was horrified.
Rightly so. As it turned out, one had copper in it, which turned out to be dangerous, and even the friendlier-looking ones caused problems. As for the pill, we now know that oestrogen in such high doses is bad for you.

So much for sex education and safe sex in the '70s. But have things improved that much? Not if you listen to one of Australia's leading researchers and trainers of teachers. Deakin University sex education researcher Dr Debbie Ollis says many primary and high schools are shirking their responsibilities when it comes to telling teenagers about sex and, more importantly, how to deal with relationships.

Most high schools warn students about binge drinking, and might attempt to cover what sexually transmitted infections look like, but that's about it. When you think about it, it's easy to see why.

If it's only the physical education and health teachers who get any training (and we're talking a few sessions here) during teacher training, then it's no wonder that most teachers don't even touch on the topic. And, of course, in the last years of high school, when many students are sexually active, they rarely have health or physical education, let alone specific classes on sexuality.

Teenagers, as parents know, are very good at resisting clumsy attempts to have ''the talk''. Research by La Trobe University reveals most teenagers would rather get information from their friends or the internet than have to broach the subject with Mum or Dad. It's not surprising that many parents, embarrassed and often ignorant themselves of the latest trends (such as the recent rise in the incidence of chlamydia), leave sex education to the school, or hope their offspring will somehow intuitively understand how to navigate their love and sex lives.

Many teachers, overworked and uncomfortable talking about sex, also hope that their charges will deal with their sexuality largely by osmosis. After all, sex is everywhere. Yet Dr Ollis notes that young people are bombarded with sexual messages and innuendo, but not much useful information.

More than half of students have had sexual intercourse by year 12, so clearly young people need good advice in early high school. They are also often crying out for help.

Teachers, as you face your classes this term, also remember to look for signs of the child who is being sexually abused. Research by the Centre Against Sexual Assault shows there are likely to be several such students in each of your classes.

When you are berating your charges for not doing their homework, don't forget that on any given day there will be those dealing with their first broken heart.

And please don't forget that longitudinal studies by La Trobe University have found that 10 per cent of high school students are same-sex attracted (translating to three students in a class of 30), but that many don't come out until after high school because they fear or face bullying. Have you made it clear that homophobia is unacceptable?

There is a lot more than learning going on in the classroom. Surely it's time schools ran some professional development for staff so they can deal with some of the underlying issues that make it hard for students to focus on academic work.

Parents can help by directing teenagers to useful websites such as, which was developed with the input of young people by Dr Doreen Rosenthal at LaTrobe University.