THE SWEDISH ATTITUDE TO SEX

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31862, 14 December 1968, Page 4

THE SWEDISH ATTITUDE TO SEX

Sex and Society in Sweden. By Birgitta Linner. Jonathan Cape. 204 pp.

Dr Linner graduated in Law at Lund University, Sweden, and subsequently read psychology and sociology in the United States. She is, therefore, unusually well qualified to present an informed and dispassionate account of the social problems related to sexual behaviour, and to compare the Swedish and American attitudes and practices in sex education. This book is not just a description but also an interpretation for the American reader who has been led, or rather misled, into thinking Swedish society to be far more sexually permissive than it really is. If there is one topic which is unusually subject to silly journalism it is sexual behaviour. Any account of Swedish attitudes to sex is likely to be selectively biassed and played up for shocks, if tt is written by one of those who cling to the tradition that sex is neither decent, nor to be admittedly enjoyed, nor to be available outside marriage, and yet at the same time is funny when discussed in exclusively male company. This makes an understanding of Swedish reformers in sex education nearly impossible, for the latter have an objective almost humourless attitude towards what is likely and what is tolerable sexual behaviour. To the extent that sex is judged on moral grounds their morality is a humanist one and its practice is one of minimal constraint subject to preserving the dignity and freedom of choice of the individual from an early age. Dr Linner stands outside

the tradition of superficial comment and pseudo-moral-ising. When she has facts and supporting statistics she presents them: where there are conflicts, doubts or uncertainties in Sweden over the direction social reforms are taking she reports these too. She is not out to pretend that Sweden has, in fact, solved problems that are prevalent throughout Western society, but rather to make sure that what the Swedes are with varying success trying to do is not misrepresented. The main areas reviewed, rather too briefly in some cases, arc: marriage, divorce, illegitimacy, family planning, counselling, sex and religion, venereal disease, prostitution and sex education. The scope of Swedish welfare benefits and their relevance to sexual behaviour are also outlined. A lengthy appendix gives specimen translations of sex education literature for each age group, and these well illustrate what is being attempted. The facts taught include the mechanics of conception and birth and early child care, and arc presented to mixed groups with films, diagrams and sectional models. This is not exclusively Swedish, since obviously human biology must be taught in much the same way wherever it is taught at all; and like other countries Sweden is still short of teachers who can present such material in a confident and unembarrassing manner. Sex education needs special teacher training, the more so at stages where it becomes more obviously relevant to human behaviour and society. There are two points at which Swedish practice I is comparatively advanced.

Firstly, education on contraception is presented quite early, coupled with instruction about venereal disease, and our responsibility not to bring children into the world casually, without forethought: this is done partly on the grounds that no-one is ever going to enforce a general and total sexual abstinence, so the adolescent should learn what responsibilities go with a permissive morality. Secondly, some material on deviant sexual behaviour and the problems of inter-per-sonal adjustment is phased in at later stages. | The pattern evolves from human biology to human sexual psychology gradually by a shift in the balance of teaching, and the emotional problems of sexual adjustment get as detailed a treatment as the physiology. The material is so comprehensive and the approach so sober that any parent who feels diffident about discussing either biology or morality might very well leave this book around the house to be spokesman. A central tenet in Swedish attitudes to sex is that there is a fundamental difference between permissiveness and promiscuity, and this difference is one which the individual must learn and observe as a responsible member of society. This distinction is one which some traditional moralists deny, and there have been strong public debates between Swedish bishops and educationalists right up to the 1960 s on sexual morality. The Ministry of Education has also wavered in its attitude to the content of sex teaching, and there are extreme liberal and cautious shades of opinion represented within education.

In a society where the individual is free to reject the church as a moral authority, but it is felt that the young person is entitled to moral help whatever hisi beliefs, the role of sex educa-i tion cannot be divided from social studies. This aspect may be minimal, pointing out the social and individual consequences of careless or unfeeling liaisons and getting young people to evaluate such behaviour in group discussion, or it may be more purposeful. In a welfare state where unmarried mothers have generous benefits, where divorced persons are on an equal footing with regard to alimony and where abortion can be legally obtained on a number of grounds, society feels the cost of irresponsible sexual behaviour very directly. It is, therefore, to be regretted that there are not more detailed statistics to form an opinion by. (A lack which has not deterred the prophets

of doom for the modern Babylon.) Dr Linner cites evidence that divorce rates and illegal abortion rates are relatively low, and that venereal disease is increasing, particularly among the young. As absolute figures tell us little, more comparative statistics from other countries would have helped. Prostitution is very rare in Sweden and is not in itself a crime. Premarital sexual relations (using “premarital'’ in the strict sense) are the normal pattern, and may be discussed freely. For some couples marriage may follow when they have lived together for some time, but to what extent this is due to moral attitudes and to what extent it is caused by Sweden’s chronic housing shortage and very high cost of housing is not possible to disentangle. Whatever system of sexual morality society tries to enforce, there will always be a minority of sexually sick people who cannot be fitted in and a larger group who because of their very high or very low sexual drives deviate markedly from the average. If morality does not recognise and come to terms with the wide variations in human sexual behaviour, it cannot be effective; and the Swedes are trying to be realistic. The book has a number of uncaptioned illustrations, some of which may be obscure to those who know no Swedish: the poster on page 52 says “Children? Certainly—but when we ourselves wish it!”