One of the greatest stereotypes about men is that they hate going to the doctor, especially when it comes to sex.  The recent Toronto Teen Survey on sexual health backs this up: in Toronto, young women are twice as likely to access sexual health services than men.  What’s the story here?

This is an issue because in Canada, sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates are highest among youth aged 15-19, and in Toronto rates for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphillis have been on the rise since 2001.  These increasing rates of STIs are a sign of potential increases in HIV incidence among Canadian youth. To reverse this trend, young men and women need better sex ed and more visits to sexual health services.

So why the gender divide?  Can we just chalk it up to “men don’t like going to the doctor,” or is there something more here?

The survey gives a few hints at why young women are way more likely than young men to seek out sexual health services.  For one, there’s the pull of The Pill: young women look for birth control, pap smears and pregnancy tests, while young men go for free condoms, information about safer sex and HIV, or STI testing.  And, in general, young women rated their experience with sexual health services more highly than young men – if your experience is better, you’re more likely to go again or recommend the service to a friend.  As well, according to the service providers included in the survey reasons for youth not accessing services include:

• feeling invincible
• waiting to seek service for treatment rather than prevention
• lack of awareness of existing services, and
• stigma around sex in some communities

Another clue comes from what youth told the survey they wanted to know about sexual health but weren’t learning.  Healthy relationships, HIV/AIDS and sexual pleasure are the top three sexual health topics youth want to learn about.  Or, as Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz puts it, adolescents want “information about being a partner, rather than only about the health of the genitals. ”In other words, it seems like we sometimes forget about desire.

As well, youth in the survey didn't feel that clinics were youth friendly and they worried about judgement by friends, parents and clinic staff, and confidentiality.  In response, Planned Parenthood Toronto put together a Youth Bill of Sexual Health Care Rights, which explains 10 rights young people already have but may not know about.  They are also working with sexual health service providers to better meet the needs of youth.

Maybe if sexual health is seen as "more than just limiting disease and unintended pregnancy" and youth know their sexual health care rights, we'll see more young men in waiting rooms around the city being proactive about their health and that of their partner.

Most of the information presented here can be found in Sarah Flicker, Susan Flynn, June Larkin, Rob Travers, Adrian Guta, Jason Pole, and Crystal Layne (2009) Sexpress: The Toronto Teen Survey Report.  Planned Parenthood Toronto.  Toronto, ON.

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Kate is an international health and development writer with a passion for technology, health equity, and innovation.  She blogs weekly at unpackingdevelopment.com