Parents' Forum

Wednesday 13 July 2011, 7pm

The review has sparked off a huge discussion about whether there is a pornification of society that needs to be addressed; or whether there is an increasing anxiety about sex and children, which has nothing to do with pop videos, but has a lot to do with adults own anxieties about boundaries between adults and children.

Dr Jan McVarish will introduce.

There have been a plethora of articles. The readings below are certainly not exhaustive.

www.education.gov.uk/b0074315/bailey-review/

www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/10587/

www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/the-sexualisation-debate-which-side-are-you-on-2293860.html

www.heraldscotland.com/comment/guest-commentary/it-s-not-children-who-are-sexualised-it-s-us-1.1108473

Contact Jane Sandeman at parents@instituteofideas.com for Central London venue details.

March 2010 7pm

In our seemingly ceaseless appetite to problematise teenagers, the latest discussion is the sexualisation of children. Cameron and Balls are fighting it out as to who identified this issue first, and who can introduce the most regulations against advertisers.

This forum critically examines are children being sexualized? What does this mean? What is the content of the strategies proposed to counteract this alleged sexualisation and what do they mean for how we think about children, sex, and adult authority.

The forum will be introduced by Dr Jan McVarish.
Dr Jan Macvarish is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Kent. Her interests lie in the sociology of interpersonal relationships, parenting, family life, sex and intimacy.

Contact Jane Sandeman at parents@instituteofideas.com for details of the venue.

Some articles to read beforehand:
Linda Papadopoulos on the Sexualisation of Young People

Stop sexualising children, says David Cameron

Carol Sarler: The dressing-up box is a pretty safe place for little girls to play

Let children be children