Sexual education with a gender perspective in secondary school in Mexico

Abstract

Adolescence is a crucial stage of development in the acquisition of knowledge that will form the basis for individuals to becoming part of society, collaborating with the strengthening of their personalities and the exercise of citizenship. In Mexico, children between the ages of eleven and twelve complete primary school and continue secondary education for three years. During these three years, different subjects related to the basic, natural and social sciences are offered, including the fields of arts and sports. However, sex education with a gender perspective is not found as one of the formal subjects of national programs despite the fact that during this life stage sexual curiosity and experimentation grow. There is also a lack of trained personnel to respond to the cognitive needs of the students in the subject. This article proposes a reflection on this topic, taking into account that to correctly preserve the right to education, there must be a commitment from the country's educational system to provide a sexual education that objective, based on science and from a gender perspective on the part of secondary school teachers. Adequate training of secondary school teachers on the subject of sexuality with a gender perspective will allow them to encourage adolescents to analyze the sociocultural construction in the androcentric social system that impedes equity and inclusion.