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‘Go on, Go on, Go on’: Sexual Consent, Child Sexual Exploitation and Cups of Tea
Author(s) -
Brady Geraldine,
Lowe Pam
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1111/chso.12358
Subject(s) - sexual coercion , coercion (linguistics) , psychology , interpersonal communication , social psychology , meaning (existential) , informed consent , developmental psychology , gender studies , sociology , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , medicine , psychotherapist , linguistics , philosophy , alternative medicine , environmental health , pathology
This novel paper critically addresses a currently popular sex education resource which compares sexual consent to tea drinking. Drawing from a study which considered the meaning of consent through focus groups and interviews with young people and professionals, we argue that the central ‘risk avoidance’ message of such resources individualises the potential risks of non‐consensual sex and ignores the gendered social structures which shape interpersonal relationships. We suggest that simplifying and extrapolating sexual consent from broader cultural understandings is problematic. Conversations with young people are important, but they need to address the complexity of sexual consent, coercion and gendered sexual norms.