Boys will be Boys

This article reports on a study of males perceptions about women how those perceptions were formed and the ideas young men have about ways to improve sexuality curricula. Data were gathered from interviews with 17 US male college students aged 18-22 (5 White 4 Hispanic 4 Black and 4 Asian-American). A review of the literature precedes discussion of findings on each of the following topics: the prevailing sexual double standard that rewards young men and punishes young women for being sexually active; differences in the perceived sexual motivation of males and females that result in females being more interested than are males in emotional intimacy; how sources of sexual information are located outside of the parent-child relationship with important information gleaned from television programs and from peers; the experiences of study participants in sexuality education classes; the fact that contraceptive responsibility is shared by males and females; and efforts to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. The article ends with the following recommendations for school-based sexuality programs arising from the implications of the reviewed and reported findings: 1) provide opportunities for nonjudgemental and confidential discussion of thoughts feelings and questions with informed peers; 2) avoid the inappropriate abstinence-based curricula that ignore the reality of sexual experience; 3) include the missing discourse of desire that expands views of sexuality beyond biology; and 4) respond to the impact of gender issues and sociocultural factors.