Talking to Girls and Young Women about Sex

“[Girls] have told by society that sex is great but that’s not their experience. They don’t know how to talk about that disconnect, there’s a certain amount of shame that shuts down their voice….for me, sexual empowerment for girls is helping them to find a voice in their sexual relationships.”

In a compelling TED Talk video, nurse practitioner Jane Epstein makes the case that our efforts are sadly lacking with it comes to talking to teen girls and young women. In an episode of ASHA’s podcast with Ms. Epstein, we delve deeper into the topic, discussing not only what to say when talking to young females about sex, but how to help them speak up for themselves.

Jane Epstein is a Yale graduate and a clinician who sees teenagers at a high school-based health clinic where, as part of comprehensive health care, she provides sexual health care including contraception services to teens.

ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast is on iTunes. Subscribe today!
Get_it_on_iTunes_Badge_US_1114

More to Explore

Woman in bed reading with her partner

Do You Have to Be Turned on to Have Sex?

The number one complaint of women that I see for sexuality counseling is that they have no libido – zip, gone, disappeared. Contrary to what many of us assume, this happens to women of all ages and levels of love, attachment, and attraction to their partners.

A couple holding a condom

Talking to a Partner about Condoms

Don’t be shy to talk with your partner about safer sex and condoms: For both of you, this is one of the most important conversations you can have. It’s also one of the smartest!

Tissues used after a person masturbates

Could Monkeys’ Behavior Explain Why Men Masturbate?

A new paper suggests that there are biological and evolutionary reasons that we masturbate and looks to our ape ancestors for evidence. There is evidence starting around 40 million years ago that the ancestors of all monkeys and apes did indeed masturbate.