Young People and Sexual Risk-taking: An Intersectional Analysis of Representations, Knowledge and Experiences

Abstract

The aim of this project is to examine representations, knowledge and experiences around youth and sexual risk. The recent years´increase of sexually transmitted diseases indicates that sexual risk taking among young men and women are relatively common. Previous research has also shown that such risk taking varies among different groups of young people. The project will therefore specifically focus on how – depending upon class, ethnicity and sexual identity – different masculinities and femininities are linked to sexual risk taking. The project sets out from a theoretical understanding that social structures and cultural contexts shape the understanding of what constitutes “risky” and “safe” sexual practices. It uses discourse theory as an over all methodological framework, and applies several qualitative methods. It is divided into three substudies: (1) the first examines informational and educational safer sex material targeting young people; (2) the second examines, through focus group interviews, how young people interprets a selection of the same material; (3) and the third observe the formal school based sex education through observations and single interviews.

Keywords

Education, Health, Intersectionality, Sexuality, Safer sex

Publications

Bredström, Anna (2016) Normkritik, rasism och rättigheter: En svårvandrad terräng, Ikaros, 1-2, 2016: 31?33.

Bolander, Eva (2015) The condom works in all situations? Paradoxical messages in mainstream sex education in Sweden, Sex Education, 15 (3):289-302.

Bredström, Anna (2014) Sex på kartan? Om tonårssexualitet, rasism och sexualupplysning i Sverige, in Sandell, K., Sager, M. och Nora Räthzel (eds), Kritiska gemenskaper: att skriva feministisk och postkolonial vetenskap, Lund: Media-tryck, Lunds universitet.