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Oral sex has become a standard component of the heterosexual sexual script, though little is known about the level of pleasure men and women experience from giving and receiving oral sex and the extent to which relationship context is associated with levels of pleasure. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in giving and receiving oral sex, and associations with pleasure experienced and partner type. Participants were 899 heterosexual university students who reported on their sexual activities in their most recent sexual encounter in an online survey. Over two-thirds of participants reported that their last sexual encounter included giving and/or receiving oral sex. More women (59%) than men (52%) reported giving oral sex to their partner. More men (63%) than women (44%) reported receiving oral sex. Most men (73%) and women (69%) reported that receiving oral sex was ''very pleasurable.'' Though most participants rated giving oral sex as at least ''somewhat pleasurable,'' men were significantly more likely than women to report that giving oral sex was very pleasurable (52% vs. 28%). Overall, ratings of pleasure for giving oral sex were higher for men, but no gender differences were found for overall pleasure ratings of receiving oral sex. Regardless of gender, higher pleasure ratings were reported when giving and receiving oral sex with more committed partners compared to more casual ones. Findings highlight the utility of discussing gendered norms for sexual behaviour with young people, and including pleasure-enhancing information in sexual health education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental/guardian support can be a key input for policy decision-making for sexual health education curriculum development and it is, therefore, critical to examine parental/guardian attitudes towards the principles underlying comprehensive sexual health education. The Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education (SIECCAN, 2019) specify nine Core Principles of Comprehensive Sexual Health Education that should inform the planning and delivery of sexual health education programs. This study examines parental/guardian attitudes towards the Core Principles and determines whether attitudes vary based on demographic and regional variables. Two thousand parents/guardians from across Canada completed an online questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics and overall agreement with each of the Core Principles. There was strong consensus among parents/guardians; 73% to 85% support the inclusion of the nine Core Principles in the planning and development of sexual health education programs. We tested agreement with Core Principles in two ways: first using averaged scores across all Core Principle items, then across individual Core Principles. We found some statistically significant effects based on parent/guardian gender, educational attainment, region of residence, and importance of religion, however all effect sizes were small (between 1%–4% variance accounted for) suggesting these were not particularly meaningful. Therefore, findings demonstrate parental/guardian support across Canada for the Core Principles of Comprehensive Sexual Health Education. Understanding parents'/guardians' attitudes towards the philosophical underpinnings of sexual health education provides policymakers with a firmer understanding of parental perspectives which may be particularly salient as new issues emerge in public discourse about the content of sexual health education in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]