A Matter of Miscommunication: Young People’s Understandings of Rape, Sex and What Lies In-between

Research shows a high prevalence of sexual violations among young people despite widespread agreement on the importance of consent. To understand their perspectives, we conducted focus-group interviews with 63 young Norwegians (aged 16–20) discussing a film about a problematic sexual encounter. Despite the participants’ diverse backgrounds (in terms of gender, ethnicity, geographical location and social class), they mostly described the problem that causes the sexual violation to be miscommunication. Through an analysis of this miscommunication problematization, we show how four heterosexual norms shape their understanding of responsibility for the violation. Two of these norms are well documented: sexual egalitarianism and patriarchy. Additionally, we found norms of sexual market and seductive masculinity. Based on our findings and former research, we suggest that to prevent sexual violations, one needs not only to focus on actions like asking for consent, but also to emphasize gender norms and an ethics of care.