The Concerns Underlying Sex Education for Young People in France During the First Half of the 20th Century: Morality, demography and public health

During the first half of the 20th century, the issue of sex education for young people was the topic of virulent debate. Increasing proposals for sex education in schools, along with lectures and information leaflets, were quickly opposed by Catholic circles, which did not reject sex education in principle but sought to control its form and content. Yet no matter which form or content was chosen, sex education remained underpinned by considerations about the future of the population and the state of public health, particularly the resurgence of syphilis, as well as moral principles. The concerns underlying sex education were morality, demography and public health, which set limits on what was desirable and undesirable in this area and guided the objectives it was to achieve. Sex education was therefore conceived as an instrument for the reproduction and preservation of the race but was not supposed to become an instrument of debauchery. This is confirmed by an analysis of the proposed systems, which differed according to the sexes.