Welcome back!
Consider my bubble burst. This week, we focused on sex education in the Netherlands. We covered topics like sexting, cultural differences, right-wing resistance, and more. I had high expectations for the sex education curriculum, given how sex positive the country is. Admittedly, the sex education is miles (or kilometers) ahead of the United States' sex ed, where it is not required in some states.
According to Alford and Hauser (2011), the United States has a teen birth rate of 61.2%. That is more than four times the teen birth rate of the Netherlands (14.1%). Our guest speaker, Willemijn Krebbekx, posits that this phenomenon is because of three reasons: use of the contraceptive pill, sex education, and a general permissive attitude. These practices allow Dutch adolescents to feel safer and grant them more autonomy, giving them the freedom to be independent while still maintaining safety. Over 60% of Dutch women in a sample reported using the contraceptive pill (Alford & Hauser, 2011). The contraceptive pill is easily accessible; the only requirement is that you are 15 years or older and have a prescription. Additionally, the pill is completely free for everyone with insurance until users are 22 years old. The cost and ease of acquiring a prescription encourage Dutch women to use contraceptives, likely contributing to the low teen birth rate. How to access and use contraceptives is taught in most Dutch sex education classes. The open and honest nature in which the Dutch discuss sex ultimately leads to more positive attitudes towards sex and more pleasure during sexual activities (Brugman, Caron, & Rademakers, 2010). The permissive attitudes also play an important role in sexual health. Sex-positive ideas contribute to a healthier relationship between sex and adolescents feel less ashamed- they don't have to hide what they are doing. As a result, young adults feel more comfortable talking about sex with their parents, which could promote sexual health and foster feelings of comfort during sex, rather than awkwardness or shame.
Dutch sex culture is not without its flaws, though. Due to the number of women in the Netherlands who are on the pill, the burden of contraception is unequal. Women are expected to be responsible for providing contraception, creating an unequal distribution of sexual responsibility. Furthermore, sex education is not always open and judgment-free in Dutch classrooms. Discussions around STIs and sexual consequences often encourage racism and homophobia in the form of microaggressions or social exclusion (Krebbekx, 2019). Students can weaponize information against their peers, applying the things they learned to stereotypes they already have in their minds. This kind of behavior has not yet been eradicated in Dutch schools. While they are much more open on the sexual front than their United States counterparts, they still have a long way to go in regards to other forms of equality. My bubble has burst, but it can be repaired.
Looking forward to the future,
Claire💌
Picture from the Sex Museum, a testament to the openness in the Netherlands on sexuality.
References
Alford, S., & Hauser, D. (2011). Adolescent sexual health in Europe and the US. https://advocatesforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/storage//advfy/documents/adolescent-sexual-behavior-demographics.pdf
Brugman, N., Caron, S., & Rademakers, J. (2010). Emerging adolescent sexuality: A comparison of American and Dutch college women's experiences. International Journal of Sexual Health, 22, 32-46.
Krebbekx, W. (2020). What else can sex education do? Logic and effects in classroom practices. Sexualities, 22(7-8), 1325-1341. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1363460718779967
"I have acted with honesty and integrity in producing this work and am unaware of anyone who has not."
-Claire Adams
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