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“No Sex Please, We’re British!”’ ‘But we don’t have sex, we have hot water bottles!’ ‘Lie back and think of England, you mean?’ ‘Will you explain the mystery of how the English manage to reproduce?’. And these were all from English friends and informants. Foreigners occasionally made similar jokes, but the English almost invariably did so. Clearly, the notion that the English do not have much sex, or have a laughably low sex-drive, is widely accepted as fact – even, indeed especially, among the English themselves.
- Kate Fox, Watching the English.
Unfortunately this venue is not wheelchair a…
- Kate Fox, Watching the English.
Unfortunately this venue is not wheelchair a…
The peculiar British problem with sex education
Prof Simon Forrest
(Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University)
From 2020, all schools in England will be required to teach Sex Education. One prompt was a report showing widespread sexual harassment of young women. It said making sex education law could help ensure that everyone understands gender equality, sex and consent. Recent events, including suspension in some Birmingham schools of the ‘No Outsiders’ programme which teaches primary aged children about tolerance and respect including relating to gender and sexualities, highlight that this is a very sensitive topic. Why is this? What, when and who should teach children and young people about sex?
"I don’t know owt!"
Dr Michael Smith
(Associate Professor in Psychology, Northumbria University )
What are some of the known psychosocial factors which predict sexual health and sexual behaviours in teenagers? What are the barriers to information and support seeking in relation to teenage sexual health? What do young people know about sex, and how can we better educate and support them in relation to sexual health? Michael will provide some insight into these questions based on his research which has involved both analysis of large data sets, and interviews with young people and sexual health practitioners.
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