What are boys attitudes to condoms and STIs?
All boys are individuals and it’s best not to generalise about anyone. All we can say, is that the responses that we have had from boys in the schools and youth groups we have visited in Cork and Kerry were generally positive. Boys thought that condoms were a good thing, as long as the girl was completely ready emotionally and physically to have sex. We were told by a number of young people that girls were often called names like ‘Slags’ and ‘Sluts’ by other girls if they had sex. This is quite shocking when you think about it. It was the same with girls carrying condoms. For the most part they thought that carrying a condom was a cool, responsible thing to do, but that other girls would judge them for carrying them. If a male refuses to wear a condom, what does this tell you? It could mean that they are unsure how to put a condom on, because people are rarely taught or shown how to put a condom on, or it could be that they are too embarrassed to put a condom on in front of a female. A
