“The more we educate, the more we deconstruct beliefs such as that of sex which would be the cement of the couple”, analyzes the author of a podcast on the sexuality of young people

Guest on franceinfo on Tuesday, Quitterie Chadefaux interprets the decline in sexual activity among young adults in the light of feminist movements.

The #MeToo movement and others “Feminist movements have helped open the floor on the subject of consent”analyzed the specialist host Quitterie Chadefaux on franceinfo Tuesday February 6, while a survey (Ifop for the sex toy company Lelo) reveals that the French and in particular young adults, are doing less and less love.

More than a quarter of 18-24 year olds who have been sexually initiated (28%) admit to not having had sexual intercourse in one year, compared to 5% in 2006. According to the journalist and author of “The Strange Thing”, a podcast on sex education by and for young people, “the more we educate on the subject, (…) the more we deconstruct beliefs such as that of sex which would be the cement of the couple”.

Franceinfo: What emerges from this study is, it seems, the greater ease of women in daring to say no to their partner. Is this a #MeToo effect?

Chadefaux exit : Yes, clearly, the feminist movements have helped to open up the floor on these subjects and in particular on the subject of consent which is a word that did not even exist in conversations a few years ago. #MeToo helped, that’s for sure. And I see it particularly in the discussions that I can have with young people within the podcast “The strange thing”.

Is this an important element for them today?

It’s always the same, we can’t make generalizations, there is also a big disparity among young people depending on the education they received. We know that the more we educate on these subjects, the more we have a peaceful approach to sexuality. I would perhaps say that we deconstruct beliefs, like “sex is the cement of the couple”, “you absolutely must have a sex life for a couple to be fulfilled”. All of these are things that we can address and which, I think, allow us to review our vision of sexuality a little and be a little less in the “injunction to”.

They are more resistant to injunctions today, to preconceived models and schema.

There is also a disparity between boys and girls on this subject. I think that the pressure to perform, especially in boys’ sexuality, perhaps makes it a little more difficult for them. Perhaps women today are a little more willing to go for quality rather than quantity.

Here and there, for several years, we have read testimonies from young and old who say they are asexual, not interested in sex, or even, for some, disgusted. Are we talking about it more or is it a real phenomenon that you think is developing?

So I think again that it’s visibility, because sexual orientation or romantic orientation are subjects that we didn’t talk about. Today, we talk about it, we put words, we allow a little more, even if obviously, discrimination is still very significant in playgrounds.