Although Chile is a
traditionally conservative country, considerable legal advances in sexual and
reproductive rights over the past decade have brought discourses on sexuality
into mainstream political, social and media agendas. In light of these changes
it is important to explore how adolescents conceptualize sexuality, which in
turn influences their understanding of sexual rights.
This study is based on
four focus group discussions and 20 semi-structured interviews with
adolescents, and seven interviews with key informants in Santiago, Chile.
Findings indicate that adolescent conceptualizations of sexuality are diverse,
often expressed as attitudes or observations of their social context, and
primarily shaped by peers, parents and teachers. Attitudes towards individuals
with non-heterosexual orientations ranged from support to rejection, and
conceptualizations of sexual diversity were also influenced by media,
medicalization and biological explanations. Gender differences in sexual
expression were described through gendered language and behaviour, in
particular observations of gender stereotypes, censored female sexuality and
discourses highlighting female risk. Many adolescents described social change
towards greater equality regarding gender and sexuality.
To optimize this
change and help bridge the gap between legal and social recognition of sexual
rights, adolescents should be encouraged to reflect critically on issues of
gender equality and sexual diversity in Chile.
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By:
- 1Researcher, Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: annakjmacintyre@gmail.com.
- 2Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Integral Adolescent Development (CEMERA), Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- 3Associate Professor, Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College, Oslo, Norway; Researcher, National Centre for Minority Health Research (NAKMI), Oslo, Norway.
- Reprod Health Matters. 2015 Nov;23(46):85-95. doi: 10.1016/j.rhm.2015.11.003. Epub 2015 Dec 9.
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