Sexual discrimination, attitudes toward sexual health, and consciousness of biomedical ethics in Korea

With industrialization, increasing workforce participation of women, and advances in information and communications technology, South Korean society is experiencing conflict and confusion regarding sexual ethics. We investigated the relationships among sexual discrimination, attitudes toward sexual health, and consciousness of biomedical ethics with a sample of 142 Korean adults in Seoul, South Korea. Men exhibited greater sexual discrimination than did women. Consciousness of biomedical ethics was higher in those with religious faith and married individuals, those with a higher level of education, individuals in paid employment, and those with firmly held ethical values, than in people without these characteristics. Finally, consciousness of biomedical ethics was higher in individuals with a more positive attitude toward sexual health. On the basis of these results, we proposed the development of a sex education program in South Korea to encourage gender-equality awareness, strengthen sound attitudes toward sexual health, and increase consciousness of biomedical ethics.