outwards whereas females turn it in on themselves...fears of homosexuality seem to become known in males, if if they've been abused by males they um sometimes tend to think they are homosexual or something of that sort...boys/men are supposed to fight it off or something...then they're not men...so then there tends to be over compensation or something that they tend to be aggressive towards others to assert their own masculinity I mean I say the evidence is non-existent but um those are the things you know appear to be possible...I mean certainly a large proportion of men who are sexually aggressive er have been abused themselves.
Stan's understanding of abuse effects in men and women are significantly different on a generic level, and it clear that he is drawing on common representations of men and women's sexuality to make sense of their 'difference' both emotionally and sexually. For women, sexual abuse turns their emotions 'inward' whereas men turn theirs to the 'outside' or concentrate on their normality (i.e. being homosexual) and 'survive' in the world through being aggressive and continuing to abuse. Stan's 'way of knowing' about abuse survival and emotional expression is very much situated in categorical difference in men and women and their means of sexual survival. More specifically, he connects women's sexual survival with constraints operating in marriage, although it is interesting that this following quote contradicts an earlier statement, where he claims that
"...as far as sexual dysfunction is concerned that that problems that they're having sexually really reflect the abuse experience earlier...rather than the current marital situation"
Later on, he frames sexual problems in a quite a different way when he contextualises sexual problems in marriage.
Stan Well, it's highly desirable that you treat them as a couple [P yeah] so obviously it does require both of them to change, I mean if the partner is becoming more understanding of the victim's difficulties...yet it is quite difficult because you have to ask of course, well why did they get, why did he marry this particular woman with these particular difficulties and actually then get better of course?
By moving away from the individual to the context of her life, it is clear that 'choice' of partner enters into the sexual equation - an equation which can result in the maintenance of abuse. In this instance it is the 'man's choice which is referred to, as it is in other transcripts (PI, 2, 4, 8, 10) where 'both histories' tie into the maintenance of the problem, which links to the woman's ability to 'trust and control' in a relationship where both individual's 'contribute' to the sexual relationship in a negative way. The contributions outlined above can be seen to be very gendered contributions, where women are said to choose certain 'types' of men (represented in particular versions of masculinity and femininity) and men are said to 'choose' women to revictimise or rescue them when 'they' are not authoritative enough. If there is sexual aversion in a relationship, or problems with sex or closeness and intimacy, these ways have been talked about as gendered and as 'presenting' problems with the relationships which make sexual 'health' difficult, on an individual and relational level. As P8 claims with reference to women's sexuality
Extract 7.
Chris sometimes a lot of the time, it's not, they're trying to have a normal life [inaudible] so they can't have sex and the partner can't penetrate, they'd much rather think...that something we immediately look for, whose goals, right, yeah and that's very much part of their, so their sexuality, if you like is very confused as to what they want and what their partner wants...and by definition the only thing that they can give a man is penetrative sex.
It has been clear from the extract that individual women with sexual difficulties or relationship problems are talked about in a gendered way, with reference to their emotional attachment to certain versions of men, who they choose or who choose them. The above extract illustrates the constraints on women's sexuality through their partner's goals and the subversion of their sexual 'difficulties' in order that they can offer something to men. Masculinity, therefore, is part of how 'female sexuality' and women's sexual relations with men are understood, in relation to the effects of child sexual abuse. We have seen this in relation to 'choice' 'control' 'support' 'features of gender' and expectations surrounding the behaviour of both men and women. The following section draws on perceived levels of coping in men and women in relation to their sexuality and the constraints that are seen to operate on sexuality and identity.
4.4.3 Understanding survivors through receivership.
So far, the use of 'relationships' (seen through the lens of women's sexual choice) has functioned to represent the link between events in the past (abuse, damage, loss of power) and the present (choice, re-enactment), the result of which has relied on certain representations of men and women in relation to those events (male power etc.) I would like to examine how such events, such as child sexual abuse produce and shape versions of female sexuality (which again is mutually constitutive of heterosexual activity, involving men, the penis, phallus) which contribute to the production of a femininity based upon 'receivership'. The extracts show female sexuality (receivership) seen at the corporeal level (bodies) and at the level of social construction. Therefore, this analysis does not reveal some 'gap' in the discourse over socially constructed meanings; it is the manner in which 'social' categories are taken up and cited which is of interest to categories of sexuality.
‘Woman’ is created as a category for understanding the effects of child sexual abuse on sexuality and heterosexuality. For example, through talk of women's ability to be penetrated (given as a sign of adjustment) we can explore the ways in which the
deployment of sexuality is achieved through a discourse of female receivership (in terms of power, domesticity, physiology and intimacy)
The following extract demonstrates a joint attempt by the participant and researcher to 'express' what the effects of child sexual abuse on women's sexuality might be. The portrayal of effects is at first extended to both men and women but then moves on to more gender specific terrain. Irena goes on to offer a context for the effects, grounding them in depictions of women's expressions and physiology.
Extract 8.
Paula ....right OK again we’ve talked a bit about this anyway but um, you said you’ve done some sexual and marital therapy, um, do you think that you know child sexual abuse um affects significantly affects the sexual practices of women in particular in adulthood or how do you think it affects, it might be that pretty much what you said before or?
Irena Yeah, I think it can often profoundly affect women’s experiences of sex, again a think there’s a great violation, depending on what kind of contact it was, penetration or whatever, um I think because women’s expression of themselves can be quite fragile sometimes and their sexual identity can be quite fragile and maybe its the same way with men, its easily distorted and affected and um, I think it can lead to many difficulties later on, I think there’s an underlying factor of difficulties with intimacy and relationships as an underlying factor which I don’t think
Paula Right, is is what you’re saying is that there’s something a bit more general there is that is going on, apart from, you know the you know the abuse per se, do you think there’s something a bit more general?
Irena I have a feeling that is very different for men and the way they