SEX EDUCATION: AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION OF PAKISTANI ADULTS

Abstract

In Pakistan, the word sex is a taboo word, and discussing sex-related matters is considered obscene; in such a situation, the provision of sex education is a big no for most people especially the elderly. The non-availability of sex education can lead to unpleasant consequences like STDs, an increase in rape cases, sexual assault, etc. It is important to sex-educate people because sometimes even married couples are not aware of the intricacies. The above-mentioned situation led to conduct the current study. The main objective was to explore the perception of adults about sex education and to find opinions over what age should sex education be provided
(if it should be). 235 purposively selected participants were provided with an open-ended questionnaire. The obtained data were further thematically analyzed using content analysis. 75% of participants were of the opinion that sex education should be taught in schools main reason highlighted was that provision of correct knowledge can help sort out increasing sex-related issues. 25% of participants disagree as it is against religion and every child is unique and has a different mindset. 71% of participants were of the opinion that sex education should be given the at high school level because it’s the age of maturity and sensibility. The majority believed co-education is not appropriate for sex-education provision.