Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nearly 50 per cent of Brits failed to identify where the vagina is

British charity The Eve Appeal has urged authorities to focus more on providing sex education in schools.

Nearly 50 per cent of Brits failed to identify where the vagina is

A study conducted on 1,500 adults in the UK has revealed that less than half of adults can correctly label the female anatomy.

Also, only one in ten people were taught about gynaecological health in school.


Interestingly, sex education was made compulsory as part of the UK school curriculum three years ago.

Following the findings, British charity The Eve Appeal has urged authorities to focus more on providing sex education in schools.

According to the study, just over half (51 per cent) of all women are able to describe their own anatomy correctly. It also discovered that only 9 per cent of adults were taught about gynaecological health in school.

Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of The Eve Appeal, pointed out that more knowledge and information about gynaecological organs can help people to look after their health.

"Covering topics like anatomy and menstrual health and on to HPV and preparation for cervical screening, these resources will help everyone know their bodies that bit better. Sixty people a day are diagnosed with one of the five gynaecological cancers in the UK, yet awareness of them is shockingly low, with just 2 per cent of the population knowing all five gynaecological cancers- womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal. We hope this programme will go some way to plugging that knowledge gap," she was quoted as saying by media outlets.

More than one-third (37 per cent) of adults can’t label the vagina, while 31 per cent don’t know where the vulva is, the study said. Just 8 per cent of those surveyed said their parents made it easy to talk to them about the issues during childhood.

Before 2019, schools in the UK were not obligated to educate children about genital anatomy or menstrual health.

"With schools previously missing this vital information, and parents often at a loss too, it is unsurprising that so many adults in the UK today have little understanding of their bodies and the gynaecological cancers," said GP Dr Ellie Cannon.

The charity has now started the Know Your Body Programme – a collection of gynaecological health lesson plans for teachers to plug women’s anatomy knowledge gap. It plans to teach seven to 13-year-olds on topics such as anatomy, menstrual health, HPV and cancer, and female genital mutilation.

The pilot of 53 lessons reached 1,100 young people in schools in London and Greater Manchester.

The charity claims that now 88 per cent of young people have developed a greater understanding of the internal gynaecological organs and 70 per cent now know how to keep their genitals healthy.

More For You

Visa UK

Since April 2024, British citizens and settled residents have needed to earn at least £29,000 to apply for a partner visa. (Representational image: iStock)

Getty Images

Migration committee advises lower income threshold for UK family visas

THE UK’s independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has said the government could lower the minimum income requirement for family visas but warned that doing so would likely increase net migration by around 1 to 3 per cent.

Since April 2024, British citizens and settled residents have needed to earn at least £29,000 to apply for a partner visa.

Keep ReadingShow less
Legendary Novelist Frederick Forsyth Passes Away at 86

Forsyth’s reporting took him to politically volatile regions

Getty Images

Frederick Forsyth, master of the thriller genre, dies aged 86

Frederick Forsyth, the internationally renowned author of The Day of the Jackal, has passed away at the age of 86. His agent, Jonathan Lloyd, confirmed the news, describing Forsyth as one of the world’s greatest thriller writers.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Forsyth penned over 25 books, selling 75 million copies worldwide. His work, including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, set the standard for espionage and political thrillers. Bill Scott-Kerr, his publisher, praised Forsyth’s influence, stating that his novels continue to define the genre and inspire modern writers.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district

The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.

Getty Images

UK unemployment rises to 4.6 per cent, highest since 2021

THE UK’s unemployment rate has increased to its highest level since July 2021, according to official data released on Tuesday, following the impact of a business tax rise and the introduction of US tariffs.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate rose to 4.6 per cent in the three months to the end of April. This was up from 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Keir Starmer had indicated last month that he would reverse the cuts. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Government restores winter fuel benefit to 9 million pensioners after backlash

THE GOVERNMENT will reinstate winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners this year, reversing an earlier decision that had removed the benefit for most recipients in England and Wales. The move comes after months of criticism and political pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer.

After taking office in July, Starmer's Labour government had removed the winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners as part of broader spending cuts.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kemi Badenoch

The Conservative leader said she asks people to remove face coverings—whether burqas or balaclavas—when they attend her surgeries. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Badenoch backs employers’ right to ban face coverings

KEMI BADENOCH has said she will not speak to women wearing burqas or other face coverings at her constituency surgery.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the Conservative leader said she asks people to remove face coverings—whether burqas or balaclavas—when they attend her surgeries.

Keep ReadingShow less