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Sweden school slammed for slut shaming test

What do you call a girl who sleeps around? The answer is a 'mattress' according to a controversial test designed for school pupils studying sex education in west Sweden.

Sweden school slammed for slut shaming test
A Swedish mattress. Or is it a girl who sleeps around? Photo: TT
Students at Östlyckeskolan school in Alingsås were set more than a hundred questions on the theme of 'love, sex and relationships' for the exam, which was designed for ninth grade pupils aged 13 or 14.
 
One of the tasks involved pairing different words together. For the phrase 'ligger runt', which translates as 'sleeping around', the option of 'madrass' – a mattress – appeared to be the correct answer.
 
Both parents and students from the school have reacted angrily since the test took place last week and photos claiming to show the exam paper have gone viral.
 
Sweden is a nation that usually strongly promotes gender equality and where one night stands are less of a taboo than in many countries.
 
"It is very unfortunate," said the school's headteacher Kerstin Sondefors.
 
But speaking to Sweden's Expressen newspaper, she insisted that the test was part of wider efforts to inform students about love and relationships and to explain some of the words that young people might encounter in everyday life.
 
She said that she was meeting with parents to explain the context and insisted that the school would continue to address similar themes in future.
 
"We must respond to what that students will face in society…I trust that teachers will do this in a good way".
 
The Local has learned that Sondefors is spending Tuesday in a long meeting with other representatives from Alingsås municipality, where the controversial test paper will be discussed.
 
A staff member at the municipality's office who did not want to be named said:
 
"She has had a rough time because of all this. I think the meeting will be going on until 4 o clock".

 

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