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'Alternative' Narratives of Young People's Heterosexual Experiences in the UK

University of London, UK, c.maxwell{at}ioe.ac.uk

Thirty-eight young men and women from contrasting social locations were interviewed in depth about their sexual relationships, with a focus on gender roles and attitudes, romantic relationship expectations and sexual experiences. Analysis of young people's narratives revealed that these moved relatively easily between `normative' and `alternative' frameworks when situating and accounting for attitudes and heterosexual practices. Despite some evidence for the existence of `nonhegemonic' narratives, young people often reverted to more normative models of heterosexual experience and expectations. Gender and prior negative (childhood) experiences appeared to influence young people's ideas about and expressions of `alternative' identities and practices while, within the context of this small-scale study, the impact of socio-economic status seemed relatively insignificant.

Key Words: gender • heterosexuality • resistance • socio-economic status • young people

Sexualities, Vol. 10, No. 5, 539-558 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1363460707083168


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