Schooling and the Normalisation of Sex Talk within the Home

This paper addresses public concern over the extent to which the school has supplanted parental responsibilities for the sex education of their children. This concern is investigated through a series of interviews with parents of adolescent children. I argue that rather than focus on an opposition between the intrusive school and the private domestic unit, the problem with sex education is located within the domestic unit as parents had difficulties in initiating discussion on sexual matters. Far from being intrusive, most parents saw the school as a crucial source of information and support. Parents operated confidently at a more informal level of sex talk within the home. Findings suggest that although parents admit to a degree of anxiety, through the family routine parents were able to ‘normalise’ sex talk within the home and gain insights into their children's sexual awareness.