Contributions to the Notion of Sexual Consent from a Gender Psychological Perspective

Abstract

This article aims to reflect on sexual consent from the psychoanalytic perspective of gender studies and
the contributions of social sciences. The analysis focuses on heterosexual relational encounters, proposing
contributions to facilitate substantive equality and affective/sexual responsibility. Sexual consent involves an
agreement to engage in a shared sexual activity, requiring both parties to agree each time such an opportunity
arises. In heterosexual encounters, there persists a symbolic, social, and subjective tendency for women to
establish limits on male attempts to satisfy sexual desires. Consequently, the consequences of resisting or
granting consent fall solely on women, involving the protection or exposure of the body, veiling or revealing
desire, accepting the encounter, or lacking the ability to refuse. All of this is tied to the “feminine disposition”
in the intimate sphere, with arguments based on the notion of supposed consensual relationships. In this
context, sexual consent needs to be reconsidered in connection with the interplay of power and prevailing
social prejudices embedded in heteronormative relational interactions.