How Children Perceive the Origin of Babies and the Roles of Mothers and Fathers in Procreation: A Cross-National Study

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Abstract
A sample of 838 children aged 5-15 in Australia, England North America and Sweden were interviewed about physical and sexual development. One section dealt with how children perceived human reproduction. On a Piagetian scale, sequences of operational thinking were found with increasing age, confirming earlier findings on how people get babies by Bernstein and Cowan. Age-level disparities were accounted for by sampling differences. On the how babies are made question, Swedish children between 5 and 9 yr gained higher scores, achieving concrete operations at 9, compared with the English-speaking group''s achievement at 11. The North American sample was the slowest to develop operational levels, catching up at 13 and 15. On a biological-realism scale similar findings occurred regarding how mother''s and father''s role in procreation was preceived. Three levels of presexual, nonsexual and overtly sexual answers were identified, with only nonsexual roles in procreation being perceived up to 11 yr. Swedish children achieved overtly sexual answers earlier and North American children later. While mothers were seen as active in the presexual and nonsexual stages of thinking, they were regarded as passive recipients in the sex act compared with father''s active role. Cross-national differences were postulated as due to the relative provision or lack of provision of sex education in school. Several problems for sex educators, such as sexual myths and the misuse of analogies, were identified.

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