Background and Context
Relationship and Sex Education (RSHE) is shaped by political agendas and social discourse, and it can fundamentally mould our understanding of sexuality. The development and embodiment of a sexual identity in young people is challenging and often problematic. Since September 2020, secondary schools in England are mandated to provide statutory RSHE for the first time (Department for Education [DfE], 2019). In 2021, the DfE updated the statutory guidance for RSHE, indicating that schools are required to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) (s.149 of the Equality Act, 2010). However, there is no extrapolation of what this means in terms of representations of sexual anatomy, thus engendering an incoherence with the intent of the legislation. This lack of clarity raises questions about how RSHE materials represent gender and sexuality in practice.
Research Focus and Findings
My MRes in Sexuality and Gender Studies explores how contemporary representations of sexual anatomy in secondary school RSHE in England intersect with the prominent patriarchal discourse. Findings suggest that young people’s perceptions of sexual anatomy representations, currently used in RSHE, are about the aesthetics of the human body and are homogeneous, clinical, and represent an ‘ideal’. Adolescents do not see their bodies represented, and this negatively impacts their body image and confidence.
Young people want to see real body images, especially realistic drawings, as they experience these are more effective in preparing them for what genitalia look in real life in terms of body-mass, skin colour, anatomical variety, anatomical symmetry of labia and pubic hair. They find that such representations would support a healthier and more considerate approach towards sexual partners.
These findings suggest that current RSHE materials reinforce narrow and exclusionary beauty standards.
Gendered Impacts: Girls’ Perspectives
Girls in particular, find that real body images and representations would prevent young people from seeing some types of vulvas as weird, medically abnormal, and even “disgusting.” Realistic drawings are described to support positive body image, body confidence, and mental health. Moreover, girls specifically want to see the clitoris represented in its entirety, like the penis. The perceived benefits of learning the anatomy, location, and function of the clitoris included girls feeling less ashamed and embarrassed of their anatomy, and learning that experiencing pleasure in the body is more important than the body’s aesthetics. Crucially, images representing the whole clitoris are found to be effective in visualising gender equality in sexual relationships.
Implications
My research shows that featuring science-based sexual anatomy representations in RSHE supports practical aspects of the sexual experience of young people and enables them to develop self-awareness and awareness of others. The lack of functional and realistic
representations of sexual anatomy, or even a discussion of this, clearly results in a discrepancy between RSHE policies of gender equality and the lived experience of girls. This research contributes to demonstrating the potential for feminist research to benefit RSHE, addressing issues of safety prioritized by the government, and further explore and address safety issues voiced by young people.
