The current, the expected and the ideal image of Polish sex education as assessed by sex educators and teachers of education for family life

Abstract

The article presents the results of research on the socio-cultural, legal and administrative determinants of sex education. The research aimed at learning about the professional experiences of people related directly to it. Partially structured interviews were conducted with sex educators and teachers of education for family life living in Warsaw. As it occurred in the course of constructing the sample and collecting data, education in the area of sexuality is a feminized activity, and there is a shortage of male educators. The paper views Polish sex education in three aspects - its current and its ideal image, as well as the future, which, according to the women participating in the study, may await it. In Poland, there is a dispute over sexual education, and the approach to this topic is polarized. The respondents assess the current social situation negatively, describing it as “a campaign against sexual education”. They see the future in black colors, but they do everything to ensure that children and young people—the most important recipients of their activities—have access to knowledge at the highest level. The article also presents the participants’ opinions on how sexual education should ideally look like.