‘My parents don’t want to tell me such things’: Girls’ calls for greater intergenerational dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing

Garcia Gavilanes, Belen Estefania ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6767-2236, Walters, Rosie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2649-7065, Khandaker, Keya and Catterson, Kit 2026. ‘My parents don’t want to tell me such things’: Girls’ calls for greater intergenerational dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing. Journal of Dialogue Studies 14 , pp. 107-132. 10.55207/vnpt6095

PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (306kB)

Abstract

This paper explores girls’ calls for greater intergenerational dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing, drawing on data from Plan International’s qualitative, longitudinal study with girls and their caregivers in nine countries (Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, the Philippines, Togo, Uganda, and Vietnam). The study followed the lives of 142 girls from their birth in 2006 until they turned 18 in 2024, offering a unique opportunity to explore how families talk about sex and sexuality as girls grow up. Despite increasing awareness in research and policy that intergenerational dialogue is vital to promoting sexual and reproductive health and that comprehensive sexuality education is vital to achieving gender justice, we consistently found across time and very different contexts that caregivers were reluctant to discuss sex and sexuality with their children. Many felt girls already accessed this information from school, religious institutions, or the internet, while others gave their daughters vague warnings about not getting too close to boys and men. Girls themselves, by contrast, consistently expressed a desire for more information about menstruation, puberty, and sex, including preventing pregnancy, and they wanted to be able to discuss these topics within their families. They viewed such discussions as necessary to enabling them to make informed decisions and protect themselves from harm. The findings demonstrate a need to empower caregivers to discuss these topics with their daughters and, more broadly, the need for greater intergenerational dialogue in support of efforts to achieve gender equality.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Cardiff Law & Politics
Additional Information:	RRS policy applied
ISSN:	Dialogue Society
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 July 2026
Last Modified:	29 Sep 2026 12:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188435

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item