"He thought he could still win it, you know": Young men's talk around consent and sexual violence

Abstract

Sexual violence continues to be an intensely scrutinised issue and at the heart of this lies conversation around the nature of consent. One key area of sexual violence literature is the miscommunication model, which is based on the idea that sexual violence occurs due to a breakdown in communication between men and women (Tannen, 1990; McCaw & Senn, 1998). However, more recent studies suggest that the relevance of miscommunication may be overstated (O'Byrne, Rapley, & Hansen, 2006). This study asked 14 young men in focus group settings about their understanding of consent in relation to sexual violence, including what it is, where they learnt about it, and whether there are gendered dimensions to it. In my analysis, I examined the wider social discourses that participants drew upon in the discussions. This research found that most of the young men had developed a basic understanding of consent through formal education but much of their knowledge was influenced by alternative sources including family and friends. Many of the men I spoke to readily drew on two key discourses in their constructions of sex and sexual violence. The male sexual drive discourse was used extensively in explaining the gender dynamics of sex and accounting for behaviours that are aggressive or coercive. A discourse of trauma was repeatedly used to assess the legitimacy of rape accusations, and to construct the idea of a 'real victim'. I discuss the implications of the male sexual drive and trauma discourses in undermining a discourse of consent and how this compromises the potential to improve normative sexual practices.