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Photographic Images: A Boy and Girl rollerskating together.
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A Boy walking away from his front steps where mother and sisters are sitting.
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A boy talking with men on a corner.
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A Boy wondering if he should walk into a family planning clinic.
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A boy and a girl sitting quietly alone in the park together.
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A vignette (case study) is included in a lesson on birth control included in this section.
There are about 21 million young people in the United States between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years. Of these, more than 11 million are estimated to have had sexual intercourse-almost 7 million young men, and 4 million young women.
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Guttmacher Report
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11 Million Teenagers
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1976
Factors Contributing to Early Heterosexual Experience Among Urban Youth
Boys achieve their sexual peak at age 15 or 16. Kinsey studies document that the male sex drive, his orgasmic capacity, reaches its peak at age sixteen.
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The inner city male, based not on biological changes, but rather on learned behaviors, fulfills his sexual drives through early heterosexual relationships, often involving intercourse. Masturbation and mutual masturbation are not acceptable alternatives for the adolescent male from a lower socio-economic class. As Rainwater discusses in
Behind Ghetto
Walls
, “ . . . heavy petting in the manner of middle class adolescents—involving genital contact, semi-nakedness, or manipulation to the point of orgasm—is not considered an alternative to coitus.”
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Pride in sexual conquest and the lack of power and prestige attained through other than sexual activities encourages early heterosexual experimenting. Sadly, it seems, the push to actual intercourse among increasingly younger adolescents disallows learning how to develop other aspects of an intimate relationship.
In his essay, “Sex in the Culture of Poverty”, Rainwater discusses premarital sexuality among white lower class males. “Boys are expected to engage in sexual relations whenever they have an opportunity and pride themselves on their ability to have intercourse with many different girls”.
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This behavior strengthens his position in the peer group and it involves much bragging and competition. The adolescent boy receives his cues from adult males and peers; the double standard is alive and well. Hence, while it may be argued that there may be more acceptance of sexual activity for both girls and boys from the lower socio-economic urban Black family, the dilemma for the young woman—white, Black or Hispanic—remains. The young man receives messages from peers, fathers, male teachers and coaches which encourage him to prove his masculinity (and vent his biological urges) through intercourse. The young man who can ‘score’ is rewarded with labels—macho, stud, dude, a man; the sexually active young female risks labeling as a bad girl, a whore, a prostitute, cheap, easy. Even the most sensitive of young men, in their search for identity and acceptance into manhood (and with inadequate time and knowledge for a more gradual sexual development process) may find himself employing the standard lines: You’ll be a woman, now. I wanna make a baby with you. You know I love you; prove you love me. You’ve got to let me—I can’t stop now.
Hopefully, a long range goal for any course of study including teen sexuality will be to help students develop a healthier personal sexuality which includes a sense of responsibility to one’s self and to others, and that helps prepare them for meaningful adult relationships.
In the adolescent sexuality component of this course of study, the following objectives should be kept in mind:
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Students will develop improved communication skills for effectively relating to peers and adults and will practice applying these skills in roleplaying situations.
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Students will develop improved decision-making skills and will practice applying these skills in roleplaying situations.
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Students will develop an accurate knowledge base regarding human sexuality.
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Students will more fully understand his (her) personal ethics and values related to sexuality.
Burt Saxon’s,
Modern Human Sexuality
and Frank Caparulo’s,
Masculinity and Feminity
readings and lessons provide direction in achieving some of these goals.
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Only 4 in 10 Teens Get Sex Education; Only 3 in 10 Learn About Contraception
. . . .. Only 31 percent of students say that they were taught about contraception. In other words, of the 21 million young people of junior and senior high school age, nine million have had some kind of sex education in school and 6.5 million of these have had courses that included instruction in contraception.
Female students appear to fare somewhat better than males
especially if they are older . . . ..
Guttmacher Report,
Teenage Pregnancy
,
The Problem That Hasn’t Gone Away8
The information in the most recent Guttmacher report confirms that young people are not receiving sex education and counseling which they consider adequate, and that boys especially need all the information they can get! My own counseling and teaching experience in the areas of sex education and contraception has led me to recognize that students often need the same information presented in a variety of ways, they need opportunities to process the information repeatedly, and an opportunity to periodically review the information and to reassess their feelings in light of their daily changes in personal development.
While the scope of adolescent sexuality goes far beyond the issue of pregnancy and contraception, the role of the classroom teacher poses tremendous concerns—especially in the face of a rapidly changing morality, changes in family patterns, the media influences. Certainly not all of our students are sexually active, but at the high school level, a fair number are engaging in heterosexual relationships involving intercourse. I have included some of the materials which I have found to be effective for all levels of students. The materials are specific to the teaching of contraception; I include them here because the classroom provides an opportunity to educate boys—many of whom have little or no contact with available health care systems which could provide them with this information. These materials presume adequate knowledge of reproductive anatomy and physiology.
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I. Sex Attitude Survey
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An excellent survey to conduct as an introduction to any aspect of a teenage sexuality course. It can be completed in one class period.
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II. Decision Making About Birth Control
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This worksheet can be used for each class session on the various methods of contraception: pills, I.U.D., condoms and foam, the diaphragm etcetera.
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III. Important Questions About the Birth Control Pill
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This worksheet-quiz can be used following a detailed presentation on how the birth control pill works. Pamphlets are available in quantity from Family Planning, Sherman Parkway, New Haven.*
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IV. Case Study and Worksheet
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This case study and worksheet allow students to review knowledge and practice decision making skills in a “real life” situation.
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*Teaching in this area demands updated information on contraceptive technology, current medical research and findings. Karen Longo-Baldwin, Community Educator, New Haven Health Department, Family Planning, is an excellent resource person.
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I. SEX ATTITUDE SURVEY
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PLEASE FILL IN:
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today’s date _____
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your sex (M/F) _____
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your code no. _____
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your age _____
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There are no correct answers to the questions below. We want to know your attitudes and feelings about these statements. Please mark the statements with:
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A for AGREE—If you agree with this statement
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D for DISAGREE—if you disagree with this statement
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U for UNCERTAIN—if you aren’t certain if you agree or disagree.
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___ 1. Teenagers should not have sexual intercourse.
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___ 2. You should only have sex if you’re married.
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___ 3. Having sex is OK if you’re in love.
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___ 4. Having sex is the best way to prove your love for someone.
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___ 5. Having a baby is a good way to get out of an unhappy home situation.
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___ 6. If you think you’ re going to have sex with someone, you should first talk to him/her about birth control.
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___ 7. Sex just sort of happens spontaneously. If you use birth control that’s a sign that you have planned to have sex and that is wrong.
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___ 8. Birth control is the woman’s problem—after all, she’s the one who gets pregnant.
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___ 9. Any girl who has sex with a guy who is too cheap to buy a rubber is just plain stupid.
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___ 10. Talking about sex spoils the experience.
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___ 11. It’s a good idea to tell your sex partner what feels good to you when you’re having sex.
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___ 12. As soon as a girl starts getting her period and a guy starts ejaculating, they are ready for sexual intercourse.
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___ 13. No one should have sex just because “everyone else is.”
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___ 14. Masturbation is only for guys not men enough to get a woman.
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___ 15. Oral sex (“sucking”) is not a normal sexual behavior.
