Sexual subjectivity discourses of middle-aged women in Slovakia: from reproduction to intimacy

Based on the premise of a changing world and evolving discourses, this study examines the persistence of traditional discourses and sexual scripts in tension and interaction with modern meanings, whether liberating or coercive. Situated in Slovakia—a small Central and Eastern European country marked by a strong Catholic tradition and a post-socialist legacy—the study focuses on how these layered discourses shape the understanding and experience of women’s sexual subjectivity. Thirty middle-aged women participated in repeated interviews and focus groups. The aim was to identify discursive constructions of women’s sexual subjectivity in relation to prevailing discourses and sexual scripts, and to explore how women navigate and experience their sexual subjectivity within this discursive and scripted context. The analysis identified four main discourses: biological/conservative, romantic, (post)feminist, and intimacy. While these discourses interact and influence one another, each can be specifically linked to the construction and lived experience of sexual subjectivity, with various agentic moves unfolding between them. The biological/conservative discourse—strongly shaped by religious ideas and socialist-era legacies—frames subjectivity primarily in terms of reproduction, adhering to traditional cultural scripts and leaving women with an unexamined and constrained sense of self. The romantic discourse perpetuates stereotypes through the illusion of the romantic ideal. The (post)feminist discourse encourages empowerment, yet often overlooks persistent power inequalities. In contrast, the intimacy discourse enables complex, intersubjective sexual interactions, supports both interpersonal and intrapsychic re-scripting against traditional patterns, and fosters mutual respect, freedom, joy, and active reflection.