Youth perspectives in Indian sex education and its urgent need

<p dir="ltr">Sex Education (SE) in India is not mandated in schools, and conversation around sex is generally taboo. Indian youth however have been increasingly engaging in sexual behaviour outside of marriage. The lack of appropriate SE combined with risky sexual behaviours may lead to unpleasant or dangerous consequences of sex like HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancies and more. Above all, there have also been numerous incidents of violence and abuse against women. SE may improve the knowledge around sexual and reproductive health while addressing an underlying concern of inequality in the genders. The prospect of introducing SE has been under discussion for decades in India; however, attempts were met with socio-cultural and political resistance. In the absence of adequate SE, youths’ sexual curiosity may only be met by unofficial sources including false or inadequate information shared by peers, limited life-experiences, the internet, and other media. Unfortunately, there has been limited peer-evaluated studies on this topic, including the perspectives of Indian youth on SE. This study aimed to understand young Indian adults’ awareness and knowledge around SE, current Southern perspectives towards sex and relationships, and how gender and power differentials influence related attitudes in relationships. An emancipatory approach was used to understand the perspectives of young Indian adults through an anonymous Qualtrics survey. The questions addressed demographics, relationship experience, SE experience and beliefs about gender roles. Advertisements for the survey were posted on Facebook and Instagram to recruit participants in September and October 2023. The data/themes elucidated the urgent need of Indian youth for SE. The findings also revealed the different perspectives men and women had on dowry and household responsibilities. Most women perceived equitable responsibility sharing in relationships, some men had more traditional perspectives. Implications include the need for formal SE in India that considers gendered Southern perspectives and combats gender inequalities in relationships.</p>