Agency Is Everywhere, but Agency Is Not Enough: A Conceptual Analysis of Young Women’s Sexual Agency

Bay‐Cheng, Laina Y.

doi:10.1080/00224499.2019.1578330

Cited by 57 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Restrictive conditions should clearly not be mistaken for a presumed lack of agency, a deficiency on the part of the actor. Individuals' agency must be seen as indivisible from the "micro, meso, macro, and chronosystems through which it is constituted, channeled, and disciplined" [11] (p. 468). According to "a capabilities approach" [12], we should not ask what a person should do but what he or she can do.…”

Section: Recent Agency Debatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parallel to a focus on sexual agency as principally a powerful outward performance in the service of self-realization, personal interest, and individual or collective empowerment, we see increasing attention to types of sexual agency that are "different" and may not be recognized as agentic in the first place [11,[28][29][30][31][32]. The scientific literature on the matter provides many alternative descriptors for "different" agency.…”

Section: Sexual Agency Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the aspiration to challenge or change one's circumstances and act upon the world (as is characteristic of "thick" agency), people may rather (be obliged to) aim for continuity and stability [33], for maintenance of relationships [28,39], for positioning oneself in moral frameworks [34], or for simply "making sense of the world" [40] and of one's self [34] or merely "getting by" [41]. Bay-Cheng [11] provided some examples of behaviors that may not be considered agentic at first, such as choosing to be in an exploitative sexual relationship to be away from abusive parents or consenting to sex for the sake of much needed relational stability.…”

Section: Sexual Agency Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even if it is outright self-defeating, it is still agentic in the sense of navigating one's options and enacting self and identity. If we only define agency as outward, resisting, and clearly self-serving and healthy acts, we overestimate its potency and underestimate its presence at the same time [11].…”

Section: Sexual Agency Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Understanding Sexual Agency. Implications for Sexual Health Programming

Vanwesenbeeck

Cense

Reeuwijk

et al. 2021

Sexes

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Debates on human agency, especially female and sexual agency, have permeated the social scientific literature and health educational practice for multiple decades now. This article provides a review of recent agency debates illustrating how criticisms of traditional conceptions of (sexual) agency have led to a notable diversification of the concept. A comprehensive, inclusive description of sexual agency is proposed, focusing on the navigation of goals and desires in the wider structural context, and acknowledging the many forms sexual agency may take. We argue there is no simple relation between sexual agency and sexual health. Next, we describe the implications of such an understanding of sexual agency for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and for sexual health and rights (SHR) programming more generally. We put forward validation of agentic variety, gender transformative approaches, meaningful youth participation, and multicomponent strategies as essential in building young peoples’ sexual agency and their role as agents of wider societal change. We also show that these essential conditions, wherever they have been studied, are far from being realized. With this review and connected recommendations, we hope to set the stage for ongoing, well-focused research and development in the area.

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Section: Recent Agency Debatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sexual Agency Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sexual Agency Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sexual Agency Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Understanding Sexual Agency. Implications for Sexual Health Programming

Vanwesenbeeck

Cense

Reeuwijk

et al. 2021

Sexes

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“…Rather than simplifying the study of women’s sexuality, Fahs urges researchers to consider a radical restructuring of our conceptions of these topics. Instead of debating girls’ and women’s sexual “empowerment” and “agency”, which may inadvertently contribute to their hypersexualization (see also Bay-Cheng, 2019; Calogero & Siegel, 2019), scholars are encouraged to consider all forms of sexual resistance as forms of “justice-making” (p. 205). Indeed, the final chapter delineates the various ways that women have exerted and continue to exert agency over their bodies through individual and collective forms of resistance and activism, ranging from language and laziness to solidarity and sex strikes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Women, sex, and madness: Notes from the edge (Women and Psychology) Breanne Fahs

Siegel¹

2020

Feminism & Psychology

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casual sex and hook-up culture" (p. 82)); and (3) practical exercises for individuals or groups that facilitate personal reflection (e.g., "LGBTQþ: what you may have heard" countered with "why that's BS" (p. 158)).Written from a voice with years of experience as an educator and speaking with young people, Friedrichs combines her experience of teaching and writing in an accessible manner to provide a thorough overview of 21st-century sexual citizenship. This is bolstered by reference to the literature and relevant esteemed researchers in the field (e.g., Sara McClelland). While references to academic research might not be wholly integrated, they support arguments well and provide avenues for further reading. Free of technical and academic jargon, it serves as an accessible introductory text to anyone interested in making sense of sex and sexuality in today's world. It is a must-read for those who wish to ignite robust discussion and informed conversation anywhere, but particularly among students and practitioners in sexual health educational settings.

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“It's a place to feel like part of the community”: Counterspace, inclusion, and empowerment in a drop‐in center for homeless and marginalized women

Toolis

Dutt

Wren

et al. 2022

American J of Comm Psychol

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In the context of rising inequality and eroding safety nets for marginalized communities, research is needed to demonstrate the ways in which settings can facilitate community, agency, and capabilities for low‐income women. The purpose of this study is to examine if and how an organizational setting designed to support homeless, low‐income, and other marginalized women can facilitate empowering changes and increased wellbeing among the women who participate. A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 22 participants who attend a women's day center identified three ways in which the organizational setting impacted women's lived experiences: (a) increasing a sense of agency through acceptance, active and participatory roles, and ownership over the physical environment, (b) promoting a sense of community through rituals of care and attentiveness, alleviated social isolation, and mutual relationships, and (c) improving life circumstances by offering a safe environment, access to basic resources such as housing, and support for health and wellbeing. Findings highlight the setting features and psychosocial processes that foster flourishing and resist patterns of exclusion and devaluation imposed on marginalized women by dominant neoliberal values, institutions, and policies.

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Agency Is Everywhere, but Agency Is Not Enough: A Conceptual Analysis of Young Women’s Sexual Agency

Cited by 57 publications

References 94 publications

Understanding Sexual Agency. Implications for Sexual Health Programming

Understanding Sexual Agency. Implications for Sexual Health Programming

Women, sex, and madness: Notes from the edge (Women and Psychology) Breanne Fahs

“It's a place to feel like part of the community”: Counterspace, inclusion, and empowerment in a drop‐in center for homeless and marginalized women

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