Room 520-C | Sexuality and Violence Tuesday, July 12, 2005 Time: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM |
Love and Sexuality among Young Women Victimized in their Dating Relationships.
Fernet, Mylène*,1, Otis, Joanne1, Manseau, Hélène 1, Boucher, Sophie1, 1 Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
ABSTRACT- Introduction: Adolescence is a period characterized by many novelties in various life areas, including those of love and sexuality. With their increased interest for a significant other, teenagers are increasingly motivated by the desire and need to share intimacy within an exclusive interpersonal relationship (love relationship). Some of these relationships are based on mutuality and interdependence while others are marked with inequity and various forms of intimate violence (partner abuse). Objectives: The main goal of this presentation is to illustrate the love and sexual representations of young French-Canadian women who experienced violence in one or multiple intimate relationships. Methods: The qualitative study explores dating violence from the perspective of 22 women between 15 and 19 years of age. Data collected from individual interviews were analysed according to grounded theory procedures. Results: Data analysis illustrates how these young women tend to idealise their romantic relationship. It also highlights the strength of the romantic attachment to the violent partner which is characterised both by fusion and blindness towards the violence. Therefore, sexual pressure and coercion are not perceived as sexually violent behaviours. Conclusions: These results suggest that young women impregnated by romantic representations are more sensitive to gestures of love than to acts of violence by their partners. Sexual violence is reduced to a simple obstacle in the pursuit of their romantic relationship. Therefore, young women, with their desire for a fulfilling love relationship, may not identify with prevention programs that address violence within relationships.
Key words: dating violence, adolescence, sexual health, love, qualitative methodology