A critical thematic analysis of discourses of gender, sexuality, and relationships at play in the South African grade 9 sexual education life orientation.

Abstract

The need for thorough and effective sexuality education for youth in South Africa is necessitated owing to the disproportionate rate at which the youth is affected by human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted infections, and the high teenage pregnancy rate. The primary aim of comprehensive sexuality education and the scripted lesson plans (curriculum) provided by the Department of Basic Education is to assist learners in understanding concepts, content, and values around healthy sexual behaviour and sexuality. However, the fundamental discourses are not always understood in the same way by all learners. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the discourses and how they are constructed relating to gender, sexuality, and relationships featured in the Sexual Education Life Orientation curriculum for Grade 9 learners in South Africa. The study explored the discourses through a critical thematic analysis. After a critical analysis of the curriculum, four main themes emerged in the data. The themes illustrate the potential for improvement in sexuality education to be more inclusive of non-normative genders, sexualities, and relationships and to consider the lack of information on sexual pleasure and desire.