Sex Education and the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancies: Prospects for the 1980s

Abstract

Pregnancy risk is conceptualized as the frequency of unprotected sexual intercourse among adolescents, and therefore can be reduced only by reducing the frequency or likelihood of sexual activity or improving the effectiveness of contraceptive behavior among those who are sexually active. It is argued that formidable barriers continue to undermine the attempts of sex education programs' to reduce pregnancy risk among adolescents. Four barriers are discussed: (1) adolescents who intend to become pregnant due to untenable family situations or unful- filled affectional and attachment needs, (2) variable rates of adolescent cognitive growth and development which may be out of phase with contemporary modes of sexuality and contraceptive education, (3) sex role structures of adolescent couples which, in a traditional mode, encourage precocious sexual activity and inhibit effective contraceptive behavior, and (4) lack of parental knowledge, understanding, and support in regard to providing information on human sexuality and contraception to children. Research is reviewed which documents the existence of these barriers, and which suggests that sex education will have minimal impact on pregnancy risk among adolescents until these barriers are removed or greatly weakened. Hence, too much immediate payoff is expected from school-based sex education programs if they are to be justified and evaluated on the basis of their ability to significantly reduce the adolescent pregnancy rate. Consequently, sex education programs are likely to fail from the outset when sex education sympathizers and critics under-emphasize or fail to recognize the barriers which continue to plague the implementation of effective programs.