Asking for it: a comparative analysis of legal and pedagogical representations of sexual consent and the lived experiences of young people

The thesis closely examines and analyses the history of sexual consent within New South Wales (NSW). The research project was inspired by recent debates within the media and the wider public regarding the role of sex education in developing healthy sexual practices amongst young people. Discourse surrounding the subject often pertained to the omission of sexual consent from sex education classes and how this often left youth confused about how to adequately communicate and understand consent. Under social conditions where pornography is increasingly used by young people as a form of sex education, questions arose regarding whether young people felt that the formal sex education they received was helpful or relatable to their own experiences. However, before one can adequately examine the social practices of sexual consent by young people, a clear understanding of the legal and pedagogical constructions of consent must be attained. The purpose of this thesis will be to map these constructions of sexual consent and compare these with the social practices involved in negotiating sexual consent amongst young people.