Young Adult and Stakeholder Perspectives of Sexuality Education in Australia: Implications for Sexual Violence Primary Prevention

In Australia, there has been a notable surge in efforts, funding, and policy initiatives aimed at reducing sexual violence over the past decade. Considerable attention has been directed towards school-based relationships and sexuality education (RSE) as a primary prevention strategy for addressing sexual violence among young people. This thesis investigated this phenomenon, focusing on the role of RSE in preventing sexual violence. While criminological and feminist scholarship highlights the importance of incorporating young people’s perspectives into prevention strategies, there is a lack of Australian research exploring young adults’ retrospective viewpoints on RSE. Additionally, existing research has largely overlooked the insights of outsourced professional stakeholders involved in delivering or shaping RSE programs. This thesis was primarily informed by the frameworks of intersectionality and the continuum of sexual violence and employed qualitative semi-structured interviews as the method of data collection. The perspectives of 15 professional outsourced stakeholders engaged in RSE were gathered, focusing on the effective features of and barriers to comprehensive RSE. Additionally, 20 young adults aged 18 to 30 were interviewed to explore their perspectives and experiences regarding RSE and sexual experiences. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to analyse and interpret the data. This research presents three dominant findings, with several key themes generated from the stakeholder’s and young adults’ perspectives. Firstly, it revealed that the development, implementation, and delivery of RSE in Australia remains inadequate. Both stakeholders and young adults advocated for a shift in approach from risk and harm reduction to a more comprehensive strategy that addresses broader structural influences on sexual experiences. This included incorporating sex-positive topics such as sexual pleasure, sexual wellbeing, and effective communication strategies into RSE to equip young people to navigate ethical sexual experiences. Secondly, the diverse practices of ethical and consensual sex among young adults highlighted the varied contexts, circumstances, and societal and cultural norms influencing their sexual experiences. The young adults’ understandings of consent were largely shaped by their exposure to sexual violence, whether through lived experiences or media consumption, such as news stories on sexual violence cases. Acknowledging the diverse influences on sexual experiences highlights the importance of tailoring RSE and sexual violence prevention strategies to meet the unique needs and circumstances of young people. Lastly, this research highlights the potential for adopting an ecological approach to inform RSE programs. Insights gathered from the stakeholders and young adults revealed that RSE must go beyond its narrow focus on individual-level behaviours to address broader sociocultural and contextual structures that shape sexual experiences. Current programs often overlook issues related to ethics, power dynamics, social and cultural norms and assumptions, and personal agency. There is a critical need for RSE to embrace a framework that acknowledges and addresses the complex nature of sexuality and sexual violence. This research advocates for a review and reformation of current approaches to RSE to better equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to engage in safer, more ethical and fulfilling sexual experiences.