The Middle East is a large region that consists of different countries. Majority of the people in these countries participate in a Patriarchy systems of religions such as Islam, Christianity, or Judaism, which all prohibit premarital sex. Premarital sex is when a couple practices sexual activity before getting married. While dating and premarital sex are looked down upon because of religious and social reasons, it is not illegal. In addition, young people rarely learn about sexual health in school, and other sources of information may not be reliable.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
Sexual health education varies from country to country. Sexual education usually includes learning about puberty, sexually transmitted infections and diseases, and preventing unwanted pregnancies. Most people can agree that sex education is important for young adults to learn about because that is when they are most sexually active. Generally, young people in the Middle East will get their information about sexuality and reproduction from their parents. However, young people are afraid to ask out of fear that their parents will assume they are engaging in sexual activities.
Media in the Middle East does not offer much when it comes to sexual and reproductive health. In addition, political figures do not advocate for more accurate information when it comes to sexual health. If political figures introduced sexual health more into public schools and the media, then perhaps talking about sex would not be so taboo. although there has been evidence on the importance of sexual education for women and girls, publicly it is still frown upon. Safe spaces are being created in refugee camps in order to help the mere conversation on the subject of sex less taboo.
Egypt
The formal education system in Egypt provides young people with very limited information on sex and reproductive health. A survey conducted in 2009 by the Population Council in Cairo showed that 15,000 people aged 10–29 received little to no information on sexual health from public school.
Media Literacy
It is paramount to look at sexual and reproductive education challenges using a single service delivery system as opposed to the current disposition of no vision at all. Among the numerous problems dogging media literacy in Middle East are reproductive health and sexual health issues. The twist in the tale is that premarital sex is largely prohibited while media coverage of such issues as sexual and reproductive health is considered taboo. This indicates a society characterized by self-denial and hypocrisy because people know and even think that sexual reproduction health is crucial but nobody wants to confront it
Attitudes Toward Premarital Sex
Iran
Majority of both men and women in Iran supported dating in order to get more acquainted with the person before marriage. On the other hand, when it came to intimacy and non-sexual contact, 69% of men were open to it compared to only 50.5% of women. There were certain things that would affect a person's attitudes towards premarital sex. Education levels made no significant difference in whether someone agreed with premarital sex. Religion however, played a big part in the attitudes towards premarital sex. Those who were religious were more against premarital sex than those who were not religious.
Turkey
Premarital sex is growing more acceptable for men in Turkey, but is still widely disapproved of for women. A study done in Turkey including 124 undergraduate students and 60 adults showed some of the various views on premarital sex. Women who have engaged in premarital sex are looked at as being less desirable than women who are virgins. This is because female virginity is valuable in deciding whether a woman is pure in Turkish culture. Men tended to look more negatively upon premarital sex compared to women, yet men engaged more in premarital sex than women did.
Political and Public Goodwill
Disconnect between policy, research, and practice is detrimental to sexual and health reproduction in Middle East. Usually, the official policies in Middle East do less than combat the underlying sexual taboo.