Positive sexual consent: an investigation into perception and communication of positive sexual consent in heterosexual couples in the UK.

Abstract

This research examines sexual communication and positive sexual consent shared by sexually intimate couples. Sexual consent here is defined as both, the internal choice to engage in a sexual act with another and the communication of that choice to that other concerned. Primary research comprised of conjoined interviews with six British, heterosexual couples between the ages of twenty one and thirty five. The methodological approach to the research was qualitative with a strong emphasis on participant lead interviews to ensure participants were able to relate their experiences freely and to minimise any risks of an oppressive process. Secondary research closely examined Sexual Script Theory and other primary research in the field from the past twenty years. Findings suggest that participants shared a good literacy of each other’s means of communicating their consent. A dominance of non-verbal, mostly physical means of communication were used by participants to express initiation and consent. The exception here was the use of clear verbal signals to express non-consent. Whilst some adherence to traditional sexual scripts was present, participants described a dominance of behaviours and attitudes that departed significantly by the gender norms ascribed by the traditional script. Other factors deemed important in the functioning of positive sexual consent in the participants relationships included creating acceptance of and space for non-consent and having conversations about sex apart from the act. The research concludes that perception and communication of positive sexual consent can be fluid within any given relationship and often departs partially or fully from the traditional sexual script.