Doing harm in the name of protection: menstruation as a topic for sex education

Pubertal changes in girls and boys are treated differently in school materi als in New Zealand. Girls are taught about menstruation in a scientific man ner oriented towards reproduction, hygiene and personal stress. Boys receiv e more positive information about 'exciting' and 'powerful' bodily changes which they can enjoy. The picture of growing up which girls receive is rela tively bleak, and is out of touch with the realities of their own lives and those of adult women around them. By attempting to protect girls and socie ty at large from the problems associated with menstruation, schools risk da maging girls' self-image, their conceptions of their roles in society and t heir development of positive attitudes towards their bodies and their sexua lity.