Understanding young women's sexual relationship experiences. The nature and role of vulnerability.

TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding young women's sexual relationship experiences. The nature and role of vulnerability.

AU - Maxwell, Claire

PY - 2006/5/1

Y1 - 2006/5/1

N2 - This paper seeks to operationalise the concept of social 'vulnerability' and explore its usefulness as a framework for understanding sexual relationships. Data from 30 vulnerable and less vulnerable young women in one UK city were collected through in-depth interviews and focus groups. An analysis of differences and similarities in participants' sexual relationships suggested that differences between the two groups of young women could be due to the divergent social contexts they lived in. Similarities in accounts offered, however, indicated that beyond vulnerability due to differences in socio-economic status, gender and other factors are crucial to any model for understanding young people's sexual relationships. The centrality of social context in differentiating between the experiences of different groups of young women, and the protection offered by environments that promote educational attainment and which are characterised by relatively high levels of adult supervision, is illustrated by two case studies of less vulnerable young women.

AB - This paper seeks to operationalise the concept of social 'vulnerability' and explore its usefulness as a framework for understanding sexual relationships. Data from 30 vulnerable and less vulnerable young women in one UK city were collected through in-depth interviews and focus groups. An analysis of differences and similarities in participants' sexual relationships suggested that differences between the two groups of young women could be due to the divergent social contexts they lived in. Similarities in accounts offered, however, indicated that beyond vulnerability due to differences in socio-economic status, gender and other factors are crucial to any model for understanding young people's sexual relationships. The centrality of social context in differentiating between the experiences of different groups of young women, and the protection offered by environments that promote educational attainment and which are characterised by relatively high levels of adult supervision, is illustrated by two case studies of less vulnerable young women.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33646903990&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/13676260600635615

DO - 10.1080/13676260600635615

M3 - Review

AN - SCOPUS:33646903990

SN - 1367-6261

VL - 9

SP - 141

EP - 158

JO - Journal of Youth Studies

JF - Journal of Youth Studies

IS - 2

ER -