Abstract
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has been described as a long-term
approach and investment that seeks to teach skills, values and attitudes that would
promote safe and healthy sexual practices, sexuality construction, power, gender,
consent, and communication in lifelong relationships. In South Africa CSE formed part
of the Life Orientation curriculum since 2000. It is described as a curriculum-based
approach but forms part of a topic development of the self in society and is therefore
not seen as a curriculum on its own, but a programme. Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson
for the Department of Basic Education stated in 2021 they will intensify the
implementation of its Comprehensive Sexuality Education programme in school
Mndende, 2020). This came to after over 36,000 girls, between the ages of 10 and 19,
fell pregnant in the first quarter of this year. Elijah Mhlanga further stated that parents
have failed miserably to educate their children about sex.
Parents and caregivers can play an important role in their children’s sexuality,
relationships and well-being, through communication. Internationally parents are still
concerned about the correct age at which sexuality education should start, the amount
of time that will be dedicated towards sexuality education, whether the content is
suitable, how their children should be taught about it and by whom. There has been a
growing body of international research that advocate that parents who are open and
engage in sexual communication with children, can protect the young people from
harm by enabling them to make responsible and informed decisions, empower them
to be able to manage their sexual health and wellbeing and to establish healthy
relationships. The following barriers have been identified as reasons why parents
refrain from addressing sexuality education at home: the parents’ perceptions of the
child’s readiness for sexuality education, their own limited knowledge on sexual health,
their own comfortability discussing sex related topics, and their demographic factors.
In South Africa less is known about how parents contribute towards sexuality education
at home. Comprehensive sexuality education has received vehement opposition from
‘Pro-family’ advocacy groups. One such group, The Family Policy Institute of South
Africa, advocates for the exclusion of CSE in schools. Although comprehensive
sexuality education has received backlashes and while the pregnancy statistics is
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significant information in South Africa, less is known on how parents contribute towards
comprehensive sexuality education with their children who are still at school.
This study’s purpose was to explore whether parents address comprehensive sexuality
education at home with their children who are still at school. Furthermore, to identify
how parents engage in conversations that relates to sexuality education. In order to
explore how parents engage in conversation the content covered during the
conversation related to sexuality education needed to be explored and the factors that
impedes parental ability to effectively communicate sexuality education with their
children who are still at school needed to be identified. This will help to develop an
holistic picture of comprehensive sexuality education at home between parents and
their children who are still at school.
KEYWORDS:
Comprehensive sexuality education, parents, children, sexuality education.