Feminist Approaches to Youth Sexualities

Anonymised transcript of an interview with Maisie, who is training to be a teacher. She went to a private, all girls' school. The formal sex education she received there was by a teacher who was nervous and embarrassed and taught from text books - it wasn't 'personal' enough, and only covered biological aspects such as conception and pregnancy. Safe sex was framed as using condoms to prevent STIs and not having too many sexual partners. Her mum told her about periods and pregnancy. Maisie has a boyfriend and they are using the pill as their main method of contraception, which her parents have been supportive of. She would like to get married one day, but doesn't think it is too important at the moment, and explores where some of her ideas as marriage as the ideal trajectory come from. She had had less serious relationships before her current, and regrets losing her virginity before she had met her current partner. She thinks it is important to love someone that she is in a sexual relationship, and wouldn't have a one-night stand. AIDS education for Maisie came from the news and newspapers - she initially thought only gay people were at risk, but is now aware that everyone is at risk, and would take precautions with any new sexual partners in the future using condoms. She has used condoms in the past and didn't like using them, but doesn't feel there was any stigma around condom use and sexual reputation. Maisie and her friends do not discuss AIDS and risk, and there is a prevalent attitude in their peer group that it 'won't happen' to them.

Title	Interview with Maisie, 20 - 21, White British, upper working class, Roman Catholic. Women, Risk and AIDS Project, Manchester, 1989. Anonymised version including fieldnotes (Ref: TST02)
Description	Anonymised transcript of an interview with Maisie, who is training to be a teacher. She went to a private, all girls' school. The formal sex education she received there was by a teacher who was nervous and embarrassed and taught from text books - it wasn't 'personal' enough, and only covered biological aspects such as conception and pregnancy. Safe sex was framed as using condoms to prevent STIs and not having too many sexual partners. Her mum told her about periods and pregnancy. Maisie has a boyfriend and they are using the pill as their main method of contraception, which her parents have been supportive of. She would like to get married one day, but doesn't think it is too important at the moment, and explores where some of her ideas as marriage as the ideal trajectory come from. She had had less serious relationships before her current, and regrets losing her virginity before she had met her current partner. She thinks it is important to love someone that she is in a sexual relationship, and wouldn't have a one-night stand. AIDS education for Maisie came from the news and newspapers - she initially thought only gay people were at risk, but is now aware that everyone is at risk, and would take precautions with any new sexual partners in the future using condoms. She has used condoms in the past and didn't like using them, but doesn't feel there was any stigma around condom use and sexual reputation. Maisie and her friends do not discuss AIDS and risk, and there is a prevalent attitude in their peer group that it 'won't happen' to them.
Identifier	TST02/O
Subject	Private school Comprehensive school Sex Education Employment Moral values AIDS disease AIDS education Safe sex Relationships Pill Parent attitudes Marriage Traditional values First sex Virginity Regret Love Casual sex Fidelity Risk Condom use White British Upper working class Roman Catholic Catholicism.
Date	14/07/1989
Creator	Women, Risk and Aids Project (WRAP, 1989-90)
Publisher	The Reanimating Data Project
Type	Text
Temporal Coverage	1989
Spatial Coverage	Greater Manchester, UK
Rights	CC BY-NC 4.0

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