PROBLEMS OF SEXUAL SOCIALIZATION OF STUDENT YOUTH IN THE LIGHT OF “STANDARDS OF SEXUAL EDUCATION IN EUROPE”

In the late 20-th – early 21-st centuries in society under the influence of globalization and informatization there were dramatic changes in the field of sexual values of domestic youth: pluralism and tolerance in relation to sexual life; autonomization of adolescent and youthful sexuality from external forms of control; commercialization of sex (prostitution, pornography, eroticization of advertising, etc.); rehabilitation of unproductive forms of sexuality; legalization of same-sex love; etc. There was a need to radically improve the theoretical and practical solution to the problems of sexual socialization. The first step towards the implementation of this goal was the adoption by the European Union in 2010 of the “Standards of Sexual Education in Europe”, which marked the beginning of the creation of a regulatory framework for sexual socialization of pupils and was to promote a holistic system of sexual education and provide children and young people with objective, scientifically reliable information about all aspects of sexuality. The aim of the article: Based on the analysis of “Standards of Sexual Education in Europe” to prove the need and relevance of the introduction in educational institutions of Ukraine sexual socialization of the school children, to indicate the main steps in the implementation of the best foreign experience in light of the recommendations of this document. The article points out the Standards’ emphasis on the mistakes of traditional sexual socialization, which tried to misgive the youth associative relationship between sex and danger, focusing on the potential risks of sexuality. The article on a large array of research material shows the low level of sexual education and sexual culture of Ukrainian schoolchildren, noted factors that hinder the introduction of sexual education courses recommended by WHO for all European countries. The article on the experience of educational systems of the European Union emphasizes the positive aspects of the introduction of systematic courses of sexual education into the domestic education system. A detailed study of the “Standards of Sexual Education in Europe” and the study of the staging of sexual socialization in foreign countries gave the authors the opportunity to justify the need to use a number of elements of foreign experience in Ukraine. The article defines criteria for assessing the successful implementation of sexual socialization: sexual issues are considered and discussed openly as a positive, integrative part of health; sexual education programs must be adapted to the specific needs and realities of the respective country; there is state support for measures on sexual socialization; sexual socialization takes into account the gender aspect; mandatory linkage of sexual socialization to premarital training of schoolchildren and responsible parenthood; partnership of schools and families, government and non-governmental organizations, various consulting centers in solving the problems of sexual socialization of schoolchildren, etc.

Media as a Source of Sexual Socialization for Emerging Adults

This chapter examines the role of three medium types—television and films, music and music videos, and pornography—in the sexual socialization of emerging adults. For television/films and music/music videos, researchers have found that increased exposure to both is associated with more gendered sexual beliefs and more sexually permissive attitudes and expectations. There is also evidence that exposure to mainstream television and movies is related to a variety of sexual behaviors, including age at sexual debut, sexual experience, and risky sexual behaviors. The literatures on music/music videos and pornography share a common interest in sexism, reporting that both types of media exposure are related to sexist beliefs and lax perceptions of sexual aggression. Pornography consumption is also correlated with more negative body image and higher relational dissatisfaction, which have consequences for the quality of emerging adults’ sexual experiences.

“They See Sex as Something That’s Reproductive and Not as Something People Do for Fun”: Shortcomings in Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Socialization from Adults

Theorists suggest that adolescent girls’ sexual socialization can influence sexual risk reduction and positive sexuality development, although adolescent girls’ positive sexuality development is understudied. In this study, we applied a sex-positive framework to explore sexual socialization experiences among a sample of adolescent girls of color recruited from community-based organizations that serve youth with heightened needs ( n = 50; Mage = 15.62, range = 12–19; 58% Black/African American; 76% heterosexual; 58% sexually active). Specifically, we examined girls’ reports of messages about sexuality they have received from their teachers, parents, health care providers, and society at large. Participants completed brief, semi-structured qualitative interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Overall, the adolescent girls described how they navigate primarily sex-negative sexual socialization messages from adults to develop positive sexual selves. Within this narrative, we found five themes: (a) Adults deliver one-sided communication that adolescent sex is inappropriate and risky; (b) Gendered messages restrict adolescent girls’ sexuality; (c) Naive adults can’t be trusted; (d) Exclusion of same-gender sexual experiences endangers adolescents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and with other nonheterosexual orientations (LGBQ+); and (e) Messages about sexual protection can help but may still restrict adolescent girls’ sexual choices. Implications for adolescent girls’ positive sexuality development are discussed.

Sexual Socialization: A Seamless Approach in De-emphasizing Rape Scourge in Nigeria

Rape, a mammoth epidemic notoriously having its tentacles covering everywhere like a speed of light that travels through cable implanted in a conduit pipe enclosed in an edifice. This scourge has unmasked its ugly face; of no value nakedness and spiteful fang on the nation in no undersized gauge, thereby consuming and reducing her women-folk to nothing but ciphers of humanity even in their own home; their dignity alienated, emotionally and psychologically dehumanized, made to struggle with societal stigmatization and above all, condemned to a lifetime melancholy trauma. It is on this foundation the paper explores how sexual socialization as a strategy could be utilized in stemming the further increase of the scourge and to ensuring a haven for everyone irrespective of gender. A secondary source was adopted for data collection; it also made use of qualitative analysis which invariably led to inferences drawn and coherent conclusion achieved. Findings revealed that the level of enlightenment and strategy towards rape curtailment in Nigerian society has been so low. The paper recommends that parents must be on their guard by ensuring that children receive sound sexual socialization from home fronts. The paper concluded that rape has been a colossal cankerworm rattling the nation.

Source Potential of the Fonds of Maternity Hospitals and Wards in Pre-Revolutionary Russia: Second Half of the 18th – Early 20th Century

The study is devoted to the analysis of archival materials of maternity hospitals and departments in Russia in the second half of the 18th – early 20th century stored in the Department for the storage of documents until 1917 of the Central State Archive of Moscow, in the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, in the State Archive of the Yaroslavl Region, and in the State Archive of the Smolensk Region. The voluminous files of maternity wards have meager viewing lists and are rarely engaged in historical research. However, introduction into scientific use of documents from maternity wards and medical reports is important for research on social and demographic history and that of childbirth, as well as for the history of everyday life, women's and gender history. Hence springs the purpose of this study, which is to identify the source potential of the fonds of maternity hospitals and departments in pre-revolutionary Russia and information capabilities of medical reports, journals, and maternity cards. The authors have established that materials found in these fonds can be divided into several categories: acceptance cards of women in labor, clinical cards of obstetrics, patient histories. The documents recreate the picture of the development of clinical obstetrics, the daily life of women in labor in the clinic, the interaction of doctors and patients. These materials can be a valuable source for studying the representation of body culture, reproductive behavior, hygiene, sexual socialization. The analysis of archival documents concludes that while in the first decades of their existence, maternity wards ministered to the poor strata of the population in birth of illegitimate children, in the 1910s they catered women from wealthy families. An important result of the comprehensive study of archival material is the discovery of information capabilities of the fonds of pre-revolutionary maternity wards in the central and regional archives of Russia. Pregnancy cards contain extensive history, including data on the first sexual intercourse, beginning of menses, number of pregnancies, age at the time of first pregnancy, thus providing important information on the history of sexual socialization, female physicality, and reproductive culture. A meaningful analysis of these materials allows the conclusion that maternity ward journals, patient histories, midwives' reports contribute to the study of social, everyday, and gender history; and provide new information for studying the history of corporeality, childbirth, sexuality.