(Stockholm) “I remember a nursery rhyme. Does that remind you of something ? She was talking about private parts. You know, the penis cartoon…” describes Vilgot.
The teenager doesn’t need to say more. Around the table, his classmates burst into nervous laughter.
Obviously they remember it.
“What was her name again?” », asks Maja, with a baby face. ” It’s been a long time. I must have been 5 or 6 years old… She also played on television, right? », adds Malte, ash blond with a light complexion.
In a few clicks, Vilgot finds the song on YouTube. ” That’s it ! Snoppen och Snippan ! », Exclaims the teenager in Swedish, his cheeks turning red.
Free translation: Zizi and Zézette. On the screen, a penis wearing a hat and a vulva with long curled eyelashes dance to a joyful melody. (Besides, the video, which dates from around ten years ago, was criticized not for its explicit content, but for its stereotypical representations.)
“They are so different, and yet so similar! », sing the two protagonists of the video, viewed more than 10 million times.
The scene takes place in a room at Ekens secondary school, a small building perched on top of a wood, in the south of Stockholm.
Responding to a question from our journalist, four students, all aged 15, recall with a chuckle their first memory of sex education.
Sweden is regularly cited among the countries with the best sex education program in the world… which has been compulsory from primary school since 1955!
PHOTO LÉA CARRIER, THE PRESS
Auli Arvola Orlander, researcher at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Stockholm University
“I would say that there is an assertion that humans are sexual beings,” emphasizes Auli Arvola Orlander, researcher at Stockholm University.
Evening settles quietly on the campus, a large grassy field, crossed by flagstone paths and hurried students. The worst of winter is behind us, the days are starting to get longer.
From the 19th centurye century
In Sweden, the first documented sex education lessons date back to the end of the 19th century.e century.
They were given by Karolina Widerström, the first woman to obtain her medical degree in the country, who published an illustrated manual on women’s sexual health at the same time.
Even the Swedish Association for Sex Education has been around for almost a century. Today, it has nearly a hundred employees and around twenty branches across the country.
“Sweden has a long history of sex education,” notes Mme Orlander. And it still shines through today.
There is consensus among the population. We know that sex education is important, even crucial. We recognize its benefits, and from a very young age.
“Children are always in love with someone!” Feelings and relationships are also part of sex education,” argues M.me Orlander.
“I felt prepared”
In Sweden, sex education is considered a transdisciplinary subject, meaning it is the responsibility of all teachers.
It is not just the responsibility of the science teacher or the school nurse, as is often the case.
“It is integrated into all subjects,” says Teresa Fernández Long, director of education at the Swedish National Agency for Education.
Examples ? Read a novel centered around a homosexual relationship in a second language. Calculate the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in math. Or study the Swedish laws governing relations in civic education.
From primary school onwards, “schools have a responsibility to ensure that students repeatedly discuss issues relating to sexuality, consent and relationships throughout their schooling,” the curriculum states.
This model was chosen for various reasons. First, because we consider that sex education affects all spheres of society and must be taught from its many perspectives.
But also because it ensures that all students have access to sex education, even in cases where parents are opposed to it.
If you only have one lesson, it’s easy to avoid it. Here, sex education is integrated into education. It keeps coming back, in different forms.
Teresa Fernández Long, Director of Education at the Swedish National Agency for Education
“Everyone is going to go through this”
Back at Ekens High School. From the corridor, the silence gives way to high-pitched laughter, indicating break time.
“I felt prepared for what I was going to go through,” Sonja says of puberty. His classmates nod in agreement.
They too are satisfied with their sex education. Even though they wouldn’t change anything.
At their school, a full five-week semester is devoted to love and sexuality during grade 8 (the equivalent of 2e secondary).
During this period, teachers of all subjects must address these themes in one way or another.
The previous year, students had an hour every two weeks with the educational advisor to discuss everything related to adolescence, including sexuality. Issues related to sexual and gender diversity are also addressed.
“Here, there is a great openness regarding sexuality. Maybe because we talk about it at school from a young age,” says Maja.
His comrades know that it is far from being the same everywhere.
That elsewhere, sex education often boils down to teaching young people to wear a condom. That a nursery rhyme about the genitals would go down badly. Or just wouldn’t pass.
And that’s a shame, says Malta.
“Puberty, sexuality… Everyone will go through it. It’s important to talk about it,” believes the teenager.
“And to understand that everyone is different and does not have the same sexuality or identity,” adds Vilgot.
Possible improvements
Not everything is perfect though. “There are always things that can be improved,” concedes Auli Arvola Orlander.
Several speakers observe that not all teachers make the effort to integrate sex education into their subject.
In addition, many do not feel sufficiently equipped to lead these delicate discussions in class. But that should change.
Recently, all future teachers must be trained in sex education during their university career. Only middle school teachers (ages 8 to 12) were previously trained there.
“We fought for this for years! », rejoices Hans Olsson, senior advisor at the Swedish Association for Sex Education.
“It was absurd to have a compulsory subject, but no compulsory training,” he argues.
In Sweden, the teenage pregnancy rate is almost zero. The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases has been declining for decades.
But that’s not what matters most to Hans Olsson.
Sex education is not just about risk prevention. It is also the promotion of sexual “well-being”, as highlighted in the curriculum.
And this is what the polls tend to demonstrate.
When young people are asked about their first sexual encounters, they usually say that they did it because they wanted to, that they were sober, and that they were quite satisfied.
Hans Olsson, senior advisor at the Swedish Association for Sex Education
Teachers also report that sex education helps improve the classroom atmosphere. “It seems that the students understand each other better and respect each other more,” says Olsson.
“With sex education, young people take responsibility. They have the tools to choose. They recognize when their boundaries are violated. They know how to take care of themselves,” he concludes.
Ensuring the sexual health of young people
Sweden has 300 youth clinics spread across its territory, which has a population similar to that of Quebec. Aimed at 13 to 25 year olds, these clinics offer contraception, screening and consultation services with the aim of ensuring the sexual health of young people. Funded mainly by municipalities, they can also advise young people on their problems related to sexuality, health and interpersonal relationships.
5e
Sweden ranks 5e rank in the World Economic Forum’s latest gender equality rankings – Iceland ranks 1D place. Canada ranks 30e rank.