An Evaluation of a Parent Sex Education Program

Sex education during childhood and adolescence is much more than a birds and bees discussion between a mother and a daughter or a seventh-grade science unit on human reproduction. It is, rather, a pervasive experience involving children\u27s everyday interactions with friends, family, and their wider social environments. Elizabeth Roberts (1980) has developed a framework for understanding sexuality that emphasizes the broad-based nature of sexual learning. She focuses on six dimensions of sexuality which are socially learned: gender role, affection and intimacy, family roles and social life styles, body image, erotic experiences, and reproduction. The role of the family in each area of sexual learning is discussed in the following section. However, it must be recognized that families are not separate from, but rather are a part of a wider social, cultural, economic, and political environment. Their attitudes, beliefs, and values are shaped by that wider environment