Teen Sex? "Not Under My Roof" (book)

Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex

For American parents, teenage sex is something to be feared and forbidden. Sex is often a source of family conflict. But in the Netherlands, where teenage pregnancies are far less frequent than in the US, parents aim above all for family cohesiveness

They often permit young couples to sleep together and provide them with contraceptives. Probing our child-rearing for what it tells us about our culture, Not Under My Roof by Amy T. Schalet offers an intimate and unprecedented account of the different ways girls and boys in both countries negotiate sex, love, and growing up.

Not Under My Roof features personal stories of teens and parents, a sociologically and historically-informed analysis, and a roadmap for guiding US social policy on adolescent sexual health.

Teenagers and sex? It's a controversial subject in America. Different attitudes Dutch parents hold towards teen sex prevent teen pregnancy (with a teenage birthrate four times lower than in the US) and disease.

• VIDEO: Toxins for my baby? Not under my roof
• Allowing Teenage Sex in Your House (Motherlode)
  
• "The Sleepover Question" (NYTimes)
  

Is it a conservative-liberal divide or more?