Pregnancy and babies versus penises and intercourse: Gender differences in ‘how babies are made’ according to children at two Spanish primary schools

Abstract

We examine the border between sexuality and reproduction from the perspective of pre-pubescent children from two primary schools in Spain, a country where childhood is seen as asexual. We conducted 14 focus groups with children aged 9 and 11 to analyze the gender differences that primary-school-aged children produced when talking about sexuality through the lens of reproduction. When we asked about reproduction, children produced sexualities and genders based in inequality, suggesting that how we approach the topic of sexuality expands or narrows the possibilities of response and that age and gender play a role in how talk about sexuality is governed.