Sexual education content in many books focuses on assessing behavioral outcomes like sexual intercourse, contraceptives use, diseases associated with sex, and pregnancy. The framework tends to concentrate on risk-reduction by teaching how to avoid unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted illnesses (Kantor and Lindberg, 2020). The education ignores important topics like the information and knowledge required to form healthy sexual relationships and content related to sexual pleasures. Many young people have raised complaints about their frustrations on the lack of information on sexuality, skills they need to overcome relationships, understand sex, and relevant sexual health services (Kantor and Lindberg, 2020). Most sex education books lack broader information that can help young people’s well-being and support them to grow into sexually healthy adults. Little is talked about in the sex education books concerning gender or differential sexual orientation messages (Kantor and Lindberg, 2020). Therefore, sex education should be re-designed to incorporate aspects of young people’s current and future lives like the ability to form healthy relationships, the right to decide whether, when, and with whom to have sex.
Sexuality as a social construction
Contemporary sex education is mostly relying on essentialism theory which emphasizes that the sexual characteristics of an individual are influenced by biological factors and are similar in all human cultures. However, to address the gap in sex education, the training must look at sexuality as being socially constructed, and largely influenced by social norms, culture, personal experience, and interactions (Kang et al., 2021). Education must give meaning to social construction theory which means that sex is assigned by the society and varies depending on periods and different cultures (Kang et al., 2021). Social constructionism holds that gender, race, class, and sexuality are creations of human interpretation shaped by cultural and historical contexts. Likewise, the theory emphasizes that sexuality is a concept created, changed, and reproduced through historical processes within different cultures (Kang et al., 2021). This theory tries to define sex away from the reproductive functions of women and men.
According to Social construction, gender is the cultural identity of an individual which involves their social norms, attitudes, and expressions. Sex on the other hand is a combination of biological and genetic components of a person. The social construction theory holds that neither gender nor sex is binary, meaning there are not just two categories – female or male and are not static (Kang et al., 2021). The theory explains that an individual’s gender or sex normally changes over time. Additionally, the sex of a person does not just align with either male or female; an individual can have both body organs and genitals that are neither female nor male.
Pathologizing of sexuality and understanding of sexuality
Pathologizing of people based on their sexual orientation has been based on the understanding of gender as either female or male. It has made people today know the sexuality of a person as being male or female (Nobles, 2018). Those with dual characteristics are normally believed by society as being ill or having abnormalities in their bodies. It has resulted in classification relating to gender identity where transgender people are forced to sterilization, hormone therapy, and surgeries which only abuse the rights of such people to be who they are (Nobles, 2018). It has led to the justification of actions like criminalization of transgender and same-sex relations which leads to their marginalization and exclusion in the context of education, health, and even employment. However, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender is part of the cultural diversity of humans (Nobles, 2018). This realization has led to some changes being witnessed which were sanctioned by the World Health Organization that called for the declassification of same-sex attraction as a disease. States must do more by adopting measures that will completely prevent forcing treatment on transgender people and accepting them as they are.
Social Construction helps an Individual understand sexuality
The social construction theory helps people understand that sexuality is not based on the strict biological traits of an individual. It explains that sex is based on social or cultural perceptions and the categories of sexuality are not fixed but always shift and are redefined depending on different historical times and across different cultures (Nobles, 2018). This theory holds that the interaction between the individual and the society, culture, the world around them and the environment creates and gives meaning to their sexual identity.
Social Construction helps institutions understand sexuality
Social construction curves a notion that knowledge is politically driven. Within a community or a culture, sexual education has social, cultural, and political consequences. People especially the youth tend to accept their communities’ understanding of certain truths, values, and realities (Vinney, 2019). When members of a culture accept such sexual knowledge, it becomes a policy that then creates a social reality. For example, in schools, the political arena, and even churches, people are beginning to make space for gays and lesbians.
References
Kantor, L. M. and Lindberg, L. (2020). Pleasure and sex education: The need for broadening both content and measurement. American Journal of Public Health. Web.
Kang, M., et al., (2021). Social constructionism: Introduction to women, gender, sexuality Studies. UmassAmhest. Web.
Nobles, A. (2018). The social construction of gender and sex. The Society Pages. Web.
Vinney, C. (2019). Social Constructionism Definition and Examples. Web.