'Please Sign Here': Exploring Young Men's Understandings of Sexual Consent

Abstract

This thesis explores young New Zealand (Aotearoa) men’s conceptualisations of sexual consent. Understanding sexual consent is a key component to minimising the prevalence of sexual violence, and whilst significant research has investigated the impacts of this form of violence towards women, academic literature must also explore why this is occurring. Previous studies have largely focused on young women who have experienced sexual violence; however, there has been a recent emergence in concentration on the role of men in sexual violence prevention. Whilst there has been an increased focus on men and their role in ending sexual violence, there are minimal studies conducted in Aotearoa that have looked at the production and nature of their opinions and sexual practices. This study aims to fill this gap, by exploring the influences informing young men’s opinions and behaviours of sexual consent, and how these influences have shaped their discourse of their sexual consent practices. The study employed qualitative, semi-structured interviews with (n=3) heterosexual young men. Data analysis was conducted through a Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) approach, within an intersectional feminist lens. The research found young men have two main external influences which have informed and shaped their opinions and understandings of consent, but these influences are not the sole contributors that have formulated how they currently practice sexual consent in their long-term or casual sexual relationships. Further to this, the research looked at the tangible methods young men use to communicate and interpret sexual consent with their sexual partners. From this, correlations were made between the norms perpetuated by external influences and their sexual consent understandings. The young men’s opinions showed the nuance of sexual consent, and the ramifications influences have on consent practices, whether subtle or overt. This thesis presents findings that could inform future sexual violence prevention measures, by addressing the way sexual consent is taught and conceptualised, referencing the structures in place that actively allow sexual violence to prosper in our communities.