Child sexuality and interdependent agency in sexuality education texts for Swedish preschool practitioners 1969− 2021: three discourses on children’s sexual play

The study investigates how discourses on children’s sexuality and sexual play have been articulated in Swedish sex education texts for kindergarten employees from 1969 to 2021. The researchers use Fairclough’s discourse analysis to analyse how children’s sexuality is described, why such types of play take place and how they are performed. The research questions are: 1) How are discourses on children’s sexual play articulated in descriptions of what play is, and why and how such types of play take place? 2) What positions do these discourses enable regarding children’s sexual agency? 3) How do the adults position themselves? The study sheds light on how the views on child and adult roles in kindergarten have changed, and what implications this has for practice.

The document analysis identifies a transition from a liberal approach to children’s sexual play from 1969 to 1990, where adults are encouraged to respect children’s exploration, to a more surveillance-based and restrictive attitude from the 1990s onwards. The latest discourse in 2021 suppresses children’s sexuality by limiting their play and prioritsing protection against sexual assault. The researchers believe this has changed how one views the roles of both children and adults. Adults have been given more responsibility for enforcing rules, while children are expected to protect themselves.

The researchers use Fairclough’s discourse analysis to investigate 12 sex education texts for kindergarten staff, published between 1969 and 2021. The texts include books, booklets and websites, all written in Swedish and directed at adults. The sample was limited to texts dealing with children’s sexuality and sexual play. The analysis focuses on both textual and visual elements, such as illustrations and images, to uncover how different discourses are articulated.

Hulth, M., Lindgren, A. L., & Westberg Broström, A. (2024). Child sexuality and interdependent agency in sexuality education texts for Swedish preschool practitioners 1969− 2021: three discourses on children’s sexual play. Sex Education, 24(5), 678–693.

Online year: 2023

Issue year: 2023

Review year: 2023