Historical perspectives on the policy on sexuality education in Russia and Sweden

Sexuality education is multifaceted, diverse, culturally specific, and does not exist in isolation. It is influenced by socio-political landscapes, historical context, and nuance. These factors influence the national discourse of sexuality education. In Europe, there are probably few greater contrasts in sexuality education than between the Russian Federation and Sweden. Sweden introduced a school-based sex education policy in 1950s and is often vaunted as a global leader, while in Russia there have been only a few attempts to implement sexual education in schools that have faced strong opposition. Sexuality education in Russia is relatively understudied, while sexuality education in Sweden is more established and more thoroughly researched. This thesis offers a comparative analysis of the sex education policy in Sweden and Russia from the 1900s to the 2020s, the problems of implementing this policy, and the contribution of the two states in promoting this agenda at the international level. Based on an evaluation of the historical development of politics and the careful examination of primary and secondary sources, the analysis focuses on policy-related aspects that contribute to successful sex education programs. This approach will be useful to generate a recommendation based on such experiences.

Historical perspectives on the policy on sexuality education in Russia and Sweden