Abstinence Only Education Teaches Harmful Gender Stereotypes

Did you know? Many abstinence-only sex education programs teach male and female stereotypes as scientific fact.

These programs reinforce the belief that girls should be seen more than heard and should rely on boys to solve problems. They also teach that boys are driven by hormones – while girls must be responsible for resisting sexual advances.

Gender-stereotyped messages in schools put pressure on young people to conform and research indicates this can cause harm to their psychological well-being.

The following are examples of abstinence-only education programs that reinforce gender stereotypes:

Puberty "is when girls need to start acting as well-mannered ladies, instead of uncontrolled children, since they are physically capable of having a child and need to protect this potential gift by respecting the power to help give life to a child." -Sex Respect Student Workbook, p. 10

"Generally, guys are able to focus better on one activity at a time and may not connect feelings with actions. Girls access both sides of the brain at once, so they often experience feelings and emotions as part of every situation." -Choosing the Best Life, Leaders Guide, p. 7

"Girls need to be aware they may be able to tell when a kiss is leading to something else. The girl may need to put the brakes on first in order to help the boy." -Reasonable Reasons to Wait, Student Workbook, p. 96

"One thing that sex education and the media fail to communicate is the power of sex. Spies, who are trained not to give away government secrets, even lose their sensibilities and give in to the power of sex, often because of what a woman is wearing." -WAIT Training, Workshop Manual, p. 86

Basically, guys can't control themselves, so girls have to be extra careful not to tempt them. It's amazing to me that women are given so much moral responsibility in some arenas, like not being seductresses, and yet we're denied that same moral authority when it comes to making very personal, sometimes difficult decisions about our own bodies, like whether to have an abortion.

These stereotypes are insulting to girls and boys alike. Yeah, I know teenage boys think about sex a lot. Guess what? So do teenage girls. And guess what else - they can also be smart and make really good decisions about their sexuality when given the proper tools - like education - to do so.

For more information about the harmful effects of abstinence-only education and gender role stereotypes, check out "Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: How Abstinence-Only Programs Harm Women and Girls" from Legal Momentum.

(Thanks to PPNT for this info.)