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Gender and Violence |
Lainey Elliston
In my professional role as a Public Health Nurse, I often work with adolescents in a self referral clinic. Usually the topic of discussion is around sexuality issues – contraception or concerns regarding unplanned pregnancies or possible sexually transmitted infections. Sometimes we just have a general chat about a number of issues related to adolescence, and about the developing of an identity and a consciousness in regard to the wider world. The clinic is open to both female and male students, but our largest client group by far is the young women. It is widely acknowledged that people who engage in sexual activity at an early age are at risk of a number of negative health outcomes, including increased rates of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy. I am not going to discuss these issues in this essay. My concern here is about the experience of coercion associated with sexual activity and the issues surrounding this. Many times the clients have reported experiences which seem in my eyes to be unpleasant, or not conducive to female pleasure. For example, having sex in a room at a party, with 30 or 40 other couples at the same time, significant alcohol and drug use, or a high turnover of ‘boyfriends’, each relationship lasting only a few days or weeks. It seems rare for these women to report enjoying their sexual activity, and even rarer for them to disclose that they achieved orgasm. However, they seldom report ‘coercion’ or ‘abuse’ and often insist that they fully consented to the activity. They seem unable to define unwanted sexual activity, and consequently, are powerless to stop this activity. In trying not to be judgmental, but balancing this with critical thinking around the issue of adolescent sexual activity, I find it hard to believe that these women are empowered to make fully informed choices. I often get the feeling that these young women are consenting to sexual activity because they have an understanding that participation is what is expected of them. I have often wondered if they are responding to a societal script. One that is significantly powerful enough to be considered ‘oppressive’ or ‘controlling’, as opposed to simply responding to individual desire between the woman and her partner. It sometimes seems to me that these women are defined by their interactions with their (male) partners. This issue is one of gendered violence at its broadest and most subtle level. I believe that it is also at its most dangerous level, because it seems to be widely accepted as ‘normal’ interaction. Coercion is part and parcel of adolescent male sexual behaviour and is actively supported within our cultural narrative. Adolescent boys report using strategies such as promising a relationship, or using alcohol or drugs to encourage a partner into sexual activity. Achieving intercourse is a ‘rite of passage’ associated with manhood (Dore 1997:150). In reading for this essay, I have found that significant material has been published on this topic – writing which gives academic voice to my long held ‘gut instinct’.
The Heterosexual Imperative Nicola Gavey writes of a ‘powerful cultural narrative’ which determines sexual behaviour (Gavey 1992:332). Strong societal messages, which are supported in media and literature, determine a model of sexual interaction in which male desire is seen as being biologically driven. An individual male is deemed as being ‘not responsible’ for his actions because his sex drive is viewed as innate, powerful, strong – and beyond his conscious control. In contrast to this, a female’s sex drive is defined by its absence – she is merely a receptacle for male action. The role of the male is to the female with the aim of achieving coitus – in contrast, the role of the female is preventing male sexual conquest. In this model, non-violent sexual coercion by the male is normalized as expected behaviour in the dating context, as it is the strategy by which the male persuades the woman to consent. There is an expectation that the female will be submissive to the will of the male, and this behaviour is reinforced by the societal script. It is acknowledged that if a girl actively fights, or verbalizes non-consent, then to pursue the activity constitutes ‘rape’. However, if she only gives out subtle messages of non-consent, the boys will justify this as a ‘cocktease’, and so continue with the activity. In some cases, even rape will be justified as being initiated by the girl (Gavey 1992, Hird & Jackson 2001:35). An added complication here is that societal messages regarding female sexual activity are inconsistent. Traditionally, nice girls always said ‘no’, and were encouraged to refrain from any intercourse till after marriage (Hird 2001:33). However, in recent years, popular music and media has promoted an openness around sexual behaviour, and a new definition of femininity based on the concept of ‘girl power’, where girls are encouraged to be independent, strong and sexually self- determined ( Adams et al 2003: 76). Adolescents During this life stage, young women are especially ‘at risk’ of being victimized in terms of dating violence because of a mix of factors, including that they have little experience of negotiating relationships, and that they are highly susceptible to the hidden societal script which defines female gender roles as submissive (Jackson et al 2000:24). Jackson also argues that the very factors which place young women at risk of violent behaviour, also make them available and open to violence prevention programmes (Jackson et al 2000:24). As a nurse working with young women, I find myself in a prime position to be able to deliver health promotion messages aimed at preventing this kind of gender directed violence. Conclusion: Determining Future Nursing Praxis When clients present requesting emergency contraception (ECP) an assessment sheet is completed. Included in this is a question, simply phrased as ‘any coercion?’. I have never felt entirely comfortable with this question as stated, and sometimes I wonder how my colleagues deal with it. It is clear that it is intended as a rough starter to initiate discussion around rape, however it does not acknowledge the more pervasive issues around gender and the use of non-violent means of force. I am not aware if there has ever been any in-house training for nurses looking at these gender issues, however I see this as a pressing need. I can only direct my personal praxis, and I believe that it is time to examine more closely the research around female adolescent sexual experience. It is no longer appropriate to simply look at service provision as a question of the supply (or not) of contraceptive information, at it is clear that the issues are much more complex. The conversations that my colleagues and I have traditionally had with our clients include discussions on making choices, minimizing alcohol consumption, and promoting the use of contraception, need to be reconsidered. In order to provide advanced nursing care to my clients, I need to find a way to deliver health promotion messages around self determination and empowering independent thinking for these young women. I fervently believe that all my clients deserve fabulous, rewarding and positive sex lives. Not in order to position themselves in relation to young men, but rather simply – for themselves. In order to achieve this, I need to follow Nicola Gavey’s lead, and bring these discussions into the open. Gavey describes the process of acknowledging that women engage in unwanted sex with men as ‘speaking the unspeakable’. The fact that she wrote these words 15 years ago, and nothing has changed is, to me, a frightening thought (Gavey 1992:325). As a woman, and a feminist, and a public health nurse who prides herself on quality interactions with adolescent clients, I need to ensure that I find a method of including in my interactions with clients discussions I believe that these clients need to be aware of the ‘technologies of heterosexual coercion’ (Gavey 1992) so that they can recognize these in action. They need to have acknowledgement of the conflicted images of femininity as portrayed in the media. They need to learn assertiveness skills – so that as well as ‘saying no’, they can also ‘say yes’ with confidence when it is appropriate. They need recognition of their desire, and the influence this has on their sexual decision making. Most of all, they need respect for the decisions they do make, and a strong sense that the nurse trusts in their abilities to be strong and take care of themselves. Then, and only then is it appropriate to bring in the information about contraception. I believe that this strategy will provide them with the tools for a fabulous, empowering, orgasmic sex life – for their own benefit, no one else’s.
References Adams, N & Bettis, P (2003) ‘Commanding the room in short skirts: cheering as the embodiment of ideal womanhood’. Gender and Society Vol 17 (1) Feb 2003, p 73 – 91. Dore, Hollander (1997) ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ Family Planning Perspectives. Jul/Aug 29 (4) 150- 151 Gavey, N (1992) ‘Technologies and effects of heterosexual coercion’. Feminism and Psychology 2(3): 325 – 351. Hird, Myra & Jackson, S (2001) ‘Where ‘angels’ and ‘wusses’ fear to tread: sexual coercion in adolescent dating’. Journal of Sociology, 37 (1): 27-43. Jackson, S & Cram, Fiona & Seymour, Fred (2000) ‘Violence and Sexual Coercion in High School Students Dating Relationships’.
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