The Learning of Interpersonal Sexuality Among Young French Adults Under the Prism of Consent

Recent report suggests that the French public school system is struggling to provide sufficient content to the students both in terms of quantity and quality. Since the French formal education system does not seem to provide adequate sexual and emotional life education, the present study’s objective is to identify and examine the processes underlying their learning of sexuality and intimate relations by focusing on three main topics: the sources of education, the first sexual experience, and the consent communication occurring during these moments. A qualitative method inspired by Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to conduct and analyze 14 interviews with young adults (23-28 years-old). The current study’s main findings indicate that participants educated themselves mostly through interactions with peers and media consumption. As for their first sexual intercourses, the study showed two distinct patterns according to the participants’ relationship status: those engaged in a committed relationships generally followed a step-by-step process over several months while the single ones’ first sexual experience occurred over one specific intercourse, often with a partner met the same day. At the time of the first sexual experiences, consent communication was operated through non-verbal and implicit cues essentially at that time; however, following Me Too social activism movement, most participant reported that now they feel the need to receive and communicate consent in a more explicit way. The participant’s discourse suggests that the formal sex education in France needs to be improved to fit the younger generation’s needs.