Abstract
BackgroundIt is well established that migrants underutilise sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for structural and socio-cultural reasons. Sex education at Swedish schools is compulsory and an important part of Swedish upbringing, yet little is known about how migrants perceive this. This study examined migrant parents’ views on sex education that their children receive at Swedish schools. MethodsThis is a qualitative study using 14 focus group discussions (74 = n) with Arabic speaking migrant parents attending Swedish integration courses. Qualitative data analysis was used following Saldana’s coding method. ResultsMigrants’ perceptions about sex education provided at Swedish schools are influenced by their home countries, where most participants received no sex education at schools and very little sex education at home. Therefore, values about sex in home countries and Sweden are often contrasting. Consequently, migrant parents are concerned about sex education that their children receive at Swedish schools. There are varied interpretations of sex education, concern over the content and methods taught, and there are numerous assumptions about potential negative effects of sex education. ConclusionThe study echoes findings on intergenerational challenges in migrant families surrounding the topic of gender and sex, often brought on by discussions about sex education at schools. Innovative approaches are needed to support migrant parents as part of Sweden’s effort to strengthen effectiveness and inclusiveness of sex education.
Highlights
It is well-established that access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services improve a broad range of physical and mental health factors [1]
Sex education is compulsory from pre-school onwards, and is integrated across a range of school subjects and often offered in collaboration with youth sexual health clinics and other organisations recommended such as Riksforbundet for sexuell upplysning (RFSU)
In the second theme “Concerns about sex education at Swedish schools” participants are concerned about sex education for their children
Summary
Background It is well-established that access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services improve a broad range of physical and mental health factors [1]. The initial focus was on health promotion and did not take into account varying sexual values, e.g. sex before marriage remained a taboo. To date the Swedish sex education curriculum has a strong focus on the promotion of the non-hetero sexual ‘other’. It is well established that migrants underutilise sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for structural and socio-cultural reasons. This study examined migrant parents’ views on sex education that their children receive at Swedish schools. Methods: This is a qualitative study using 14 focus group discussions (74 = n) with Arabic speaking migrant parents attending Swedish integration courses. Migrant parents are concerned about sex education that their children receive at Swedish schools. Innovative approaches are needed to support migrant parents as part of Sweden’s effort to strengthen effectiveness and inclusiveness of sex education
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