Talking relationships, babies and bodies with young children: the experiences of parents in England

Stone, Nicole; Ingham, Roger; McGinn, Laura; Bengry‐Howell, Andrew

doi:10.1080/14681811.2017.1332988

Cited by 11 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Stone, Ingham, and Gibbins (2013) study with parents of children aged 3-7 years in England, also identified that parents struggled in undertaking the role of sexuality educator for their young children. More recently, Stone et al (2015Stone et al ( , 2017 identified that whilst parents wish to be open and honest with their children about sexual issues, for some, their anxieties stymie their attempts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

2017

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Men can play a significant role in teaching their children about sexuality but fathers' practices and perceptions in this domain remain under explored. This study presents an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of eight fathers' perceptions and practices in educating their ten-year-old children about physical maturation, reproduction and relationships. A Foucauldian analysis with a focus on governmentality and biopower revealed tensions and contradictions between the fathers' aspirations and their realities, which appeared to be underpinned by the dynamic, contradictory, shifting, plural nature of fatherhood identities. Whilst fathers wished to adhere to the cultural imperative for father-child emotional closeness, a disparity between their ambitions and their conduct emerged. Care appeared to be a deeply gendered concept for the fathers and despite their aspirations for an intimate relationship with their children, gendered norms for motherhood and fatherhood prevailed resulting in passivity in their role as sexuality educators. The study concludes by arguing that challenges to structures and subcultural contexts, which may deter fathers from fully engaging with their sons and daughters in this aspect of communication are required.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

2017

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“…They found that parents generally resisted the idea of the 'sexualisation' discourse for a more reasoned approach. Many parents reported finding communication about sexuality during childhood as necessary and appropriate to help encourage their children to talk about sexual matters (Stone, Ingham, McGinn and Bengry-Howell 2017).…”

Section: Smith and Attwood Arguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though sex education provided by parents to their child is often referred to as 'the talk' (Kuhle, Melzer, Cooper, Merkle, Pepe, Ribanovic, Verdesco and Wettstein 2015), it has been found that there is little evidence of parents providing a significant one-off talk (Walker 2001, Stone et al 2017 (Foster et al 2011), with mothers with high levels of religiosity identifying their discomfort as a barrier in discussing topics such as abortion and sexual assault with their children (Farringdon et al 2014). Despite these perceived barriers to communication, other research found that some parents have suggested that their own poor experience of SRE made them determined not to reproduce a generation with their same poor SRE knowledge and that they wanted their own children to be better informed than they were as adolescents (Kirkman, Rosenthal and Shirley, Feldman, 2005, Walker 2001, SEF 2011b, Berne et al 2000.…”

Section: Approaching Education Within the Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, Ogle, Glasier and Riley (2008) found that the barriers experienced by parents in communicating about sexual health matters with their children derived from a reluctance from the young people rather than their parents. Stone et al (2017) identified that parents could be grouped into either 'proactive' or 'reactive' sex educators based on who initiated the sex education provided within the family. The reactive parents provided communication when prompted by their child whereas the proactive parents, which were a much smaller group in their study, instigated communication.…”

Section: Approaching Education Within the Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…aiming to provide open education with the intent to prevent embarrassment (Stone et al 2017). Similarly, Foster et al (2011)…”

Section: Approaching Education Within the Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Catholic parents' perceptions of young people's learning about sex and relationships

Burns-O’Connell¹

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It is widely accepted that sex and relationships education (SRE) is an adversarial subject. Though there is ample evidence of its significance for young people's sexual health and wellbeing, the subject is entrenched in political and cultural conflict and differences of opinion from parents, teachers, governors, religious organisations, and young people. Many Catholics' beliefs regarding sex differ from those of the Catholic hierarchy. My thesis explores this issue from the perspectives of Catholic parents in England and focusses on their views of young people's learning about sex and relationships, and how Catholicism has influenced this. Using a qualitative methodology informed by feminist research principles, Catholic parents' perceptions of SRE were explored using in-depth interviews. A variety of Catholic parents' voices (11 participants) were identified using existing networks and snowballing techniques. The reasoning behind parents' choices and views relating to their children's learning about sex and relationships was explored using an interpretivist approach. The empirical findings from this study contribute unique insights to understanding Catholic parents' support for young people's learning about sex and relationships. Subjective factors (for example, the experience of divorce) influenced the way many of the participants thought about, or provided, SRE for their children. Although they had little knowledge of school provision, most supported unbiased, compulsory SRE curricula. Learning about sex and relationships within the family often relied on an opportunistic and open approach, however many of the participants identified their own poor SRE as a barrier to the education they (aimed to) provide for their children. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the findings from this project suggest that Catholicism influenced some of the participant's thinking about SRE. Additionally, this was also evident in those who no longer practiced as a Catholic. Overall, this study brings to light the complexities, contradictions, and subtleties regarding Catholic parents' views on young people's learning about sex and relationships.

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Parental Sexual Passion and Parent-Child Communication About Sex

2022

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Talking relationships, babies and bodies with young children: the experiences of parents in England

Cited by 11 publications

References 35 publications

Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Catholic parents' perceptions of young people's learning about sex and relationships

Parental Sexual Passion and Parent-Child Communication About Sex

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