Abstract
Social and economic changes in Vietnam since the economic restructuring of the 1980s have caused a shift in norms about premarital sex. While expectations of female chastity remain, sex before marriage is becoming more common among young people. As the formative phase of a parent randomized controlled trial, the present study examined the normative context of sex in dating relationships from the perspectives of young women and men in Vietnam. Men (n = 12) and women (n = 9) studying at two universities in Hanoi participated in semi-structured interviews that explored perspectives on sexual relationships and sexual coercion among their peers. Thematic analysis synthesized participant narratives into broader themes. Our findings confirmed that, as social norms evolve in Vietnam, young women must navigate shifting, and often contradictory, expectations about sex and dating relationships. Women and men expressed the belief that competing sexual expectations often can limit young women’s sexual agency and contribute to the normalization of sexual coercion in dating relationships. However, some women were embracing greater sexual freedom and reframing norms in ways that reflected their sexual agency. Efforts are needed to address these conflicting expectations, to deepen young men’s understanding of this conflict, and to prevent sexual coercion in young adulthood.
Highlights
Adolescent Dating Relationships, Premarital Sex, and AgencyThe sexual revolution that took place in many societies during the last half of the 20th century led to a transformation in norms surrounding premarital sex, for women (Rubinson & De Rubertis, 1991; Sherwin & Corbett, 1985)
Studies among high school and college students have documented the impact of these conflicting expectations on adolescent girls as they enter young adulthood (BayCheng & Eliseo-Arras, 2008; Marston & King, 2006; Wight et al, 2006)
We explored attitudes, behaviors, and normative expectations about sexual relationships among unmarried university students in urban Vietnam to understand women’s perceptions of, and responses to, contradictory expectations from parents, peers, and dating partners regarding sex before marriage
Summary
Adolescent Dating Relationships, Premarital Sex, and AgencyThe sexual revolution that took place in many societies during the last half of the 20th century led to a transformation in norms surrounding premarital sex, for women (Rubinson & De Rubertis, 1991; Sherwin & Corbett, 1985). Expectations that women should be polite and accommodating and should prioritize the sexual needs of male partners, have been highlighted in young women’s narratives describing sexual encounters with men (Bay-Cheng & Eliseo-Arras, 2008; Burkett & Hamilton, 2012). A neoliberal emphasis on freedom and personal responsibility, which has underpinned much of Western thinking since the 1970s (Alfredo Filho & Johnston, 2005), has contributed to contradictory sexual expectations by failing to acknowledge the constraints on women’s agency that influence their ability to negotiate consent in relationships with men (Bay-Cheng & Eliseo-Arras, 2008; Burkett & Hamilton, 2012; Cense, 2019). Normative expectations that sex is ubiquitous can compound the pressure to acquiesce to partners’ sexual advances, regardless of gender (Buhi & Goodson, 2007; Van de Bongardt, Reitz, Sandfort, & Deković, 2015)
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