Puberty Sexual Education For Boys And Girls 1991 Belgium Link
Belgium in 1991 had a reputation for social liberalism. Brussels was the capital of a uniting Europe, the age of consent was 16, and abortion had been partially decriminalized the year prior (the 1990 "Loi sur l’avortement," which caused King Baudouin to temporarily step down). However, social attitudes often lagged behind legislation.
In 1991, sex education was not mandatory in Belgian schools. The constitution guaranteed freedom of education, which gave Catholic schools—which educated over 60% of Flemish and Walloon children—broad autonomy over their curricula. As a result, what a 12-year-old girl learned about menstruation in Liège could be radically different from what a boy her age learned in Antwerp.
The primary drivers of puberty education in 1991 were threefold: puberty sexual education for boys and girls 1991 belgium
The generation of 12- to 15-year-olds in 1991 were the children of the 1960s and 70s. While their parents had lived through the "Sexual Revolution," Belgian society in the late 80s/early 90s was dealing with the sobering reality of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Consequently, the sexual education of 1991 featured a dual narrative: Belgium in 1991 had a reputation for social liberalism
How did Belgian teenagers actually learn about their changing bodies in 1991?
One cannot discuss Belgian education in 1991 without acknowledging the linguistic and cultural split. In 1991, sex education was not mandatory in
When a man and a woman decide to make a baby, the man puts his penis inside the woman's vagina. He releases millions of sperm cells. One sperm joins with the woman's egg (which she releases once a month). This is called fertilization. The baby grows inside the woman's uterus for nine months.
Important for 1991 Belgium: In this country, a woman has the right to see a doctor for contraception (the pill) without her parents' permission if she is over 14. A boy can buy condoms at the pharmacy. AIDS is a deadly disease. You cannot catch it from a toilet seat or a kiss. You can catch it from blood or sexual fluids. A condom is the only protection.