Abstract
New Zealand has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy among the developed Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. There is evidence both that the age of sexual activity is falling, and that an increasing proportion of students are sexually active while at school. These quantitative changes are accompanied by other transformations in patterns of sexual behaviour. It seems that middle-class girls are asserting their right to be sexually active while some working-class girls, particularly those from the Polynesian communities, are separating their relations of friendship and sexual interaction with boys. It is suggested that this may be based on a refusal to accept oppressive forms of relationships and the male rules that define them. Some implications of these findings for family strategies of reproduction and school policies are discussed. The analysis draws on a longitudinal programme of research concerned with the progress of students at secondary school.
Published Version
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