A Descriptive Study on the Role of Mothers Among Middle-Class Families in Sex Education in Quezon City: Role Expectations and Opportunities for Intervention

Abstract

Because ofchanging times, children are more exposed to the realities of sex, now, more than ever, the intervention of mothers in sex education is greatly needed. In this study, the researcher aims to find out how mothers face the task of educating their children about sex; how open they are to the discussion of sex, how knowledgeable they are, and how effectively they communicate with their children in terms of sexual matters. Twenty-eight middle-class mothers of Barangay Bayanihan, Quezon City have been asked to participate in answering a survey questionnaire, while four mothers, two barangay kagawads, one barangay health worker, and one SK chairperson have been invited for individual in-depth interviews. In the course of the study, the researcher has found that, overall, the mothers of Barangay Bayanihan are at the point of transition between conservatism and liberalism, and that they still bear the reticence of older generations to talk about sex. The researcher has also discovered that the mothers lack knowledge in sex education because of the curbing of their times to know about sexual matters; and that because of these two factors (semi-conservatism and lack of knowledge), they have not been able to fully and effectively communicate with their children about sex. The researcher believes that in order for this problem on proper sex education to be formally addressed, mothers should also be given ample learning, and that mothers should be made to understand that openness to sex education does not mean openness to the irresponsible promotion of the act; instead, it means promotion of a higher understanding of sex, bodily changes, urges, etc, in order to educate, inform, and warn.