Sexual education and development study - Children tell how they see it

Too little, too late ... that's how many young Australians view their experience of sex education, according to Professor Ronald and Juliette Goldman. In their book, Children's sexual thinking to be released in May, in London, Boston and Melbourne by Routledge and Kegan Paul, the Goldmans say: 'Children perceive that it is the adults who have the hang-ups about sex, and that adults deliberately or unconsciously withhold information and knowledge that they (children) seek. A considerable shortfall exists between what the children want to know and what they claim to have received, which in their view is provided too late.' [...]

Children's sexual thinking is based on a comparative study of nearly 1,000 children (aged from five to 15 years) from 60 schools in Australia, England, North America and Sweden. The study, funded by La Trobe's Centre for the Study of Urban Education and the Swedish Board of Education, involved the Goldmans in four years of preparation, travel, interviewing and analysis. [...]

Sex education is seen as necessary by the vast majority of children and should be provided in primary (elementary) schools, whereas the provision actually given to the majority appears to be in 'secondary schools only' - apart from Sweden - and often late in secondary schooling. In the English-speaking countries a sizeable proportion of teenagers report having received no sex education at school, while some of these report no help from their parents. A considerable shortfall exists between what the children want to know and what they claim to have received, which in their view is provided too late.

source: Article 'Sexual education and development study - Children tell how they see it' by La Trobe University; 1982