Sexualities, pregnancy and educational biographies: searching for social justice in education

Author(s):

Laura da FonsecaHelena C. Araújo

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

7. Social Justice and Intercultural Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

07 SES 05 A, Gender and ethnicity: preparing for adulthood

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-29

08:30-10:00

Room:

HG, HS 31

Chair:

Ghazala Bhatti

Contribution

The paper is based on a project research in progress called “Sexualities, Youth and Teenage Pregnancy in Northwest Portugal”. Young women who have dropped out from basic and secondary schools and their experiences concerning sexuality and pregnancy are the main focus of it. It aims to listening and interpret the voices of these young women. There is a high incidence of teenage pregnancy in Portugal, as the second highest after the UK among 15 European countries and it is seen in public discourses as a social problem. The ambiguous messages apparent in broader public debates sometimes as alarmist, while others involving censorship, compassion or conformity need to be questioned (Aapola, Gonick, Harris 2005, Richardson & Turner 2001). In this research project, they are seen within the context of the more general process of changes to the balance between public life and gender relations during the past decades, favouring a critical approach that promotes alternatives to the views based on psychobiological and pathological factors: teenage pregnancy is defined by the «lack» of information, resources, family and emotional structure etc. (Lees 2000). The proposed view allows us to perceive how much the lack-centred discourses contribute to the reinforcement and to the reproduction of social inequalities (Walkerdine et al. 2001). Moreover, the framework here favours the research of the many meanings and life experiences in connection to socio-cultural and power relations (Mac an Ghaill 1994). By questioning the complex and mixed meanings around teenage pregnancy (Almeida et al. 2004, Vilar & Gaspar 1999), it is possible to deconstruct the stereotyped and idealised conceptions of gendered relations and social life, which can help to think about educational strategies for citizenship, a politics of difference that involves diverse social groups, and sexual citizenship (Young 1997; 2000; Lees 2000, Giddens1996) in a context of changing femininities and masculinities. Educational institutions are spaces of transitions and social reproduction (Fonseca 2001), not always directed to the well-being and sexual health of young people (Kehily 2002). Hence in this paper an interpretation of the experiences and views of young women through their life histories aims at understanding the ways they rehearse and live their sexualities, recognising their claim for inclusion and respect.

Method

The meanings and experiences of five girl teenagers on their school education and sexualities were captured through their life histories (biographical narratives) by the research team. After several meetings with each of them, the biographical narratives have been built, and the young women have been consulted on the final version of these. These biographical narratives will be interpret in the view that the researchers will not silence the Other and will speak with and not speaking-for (Shields 1996). In the paper the biographical method will follow mainly the lines deployed by Ferrarotti (1983) and Plummer (2001), where the singularities of experience will more focused, and not so much the social regularities.

Expected Outcomes

Within a perspective that aims to contribute to the development of policies and practices based on young people’s educational and support needs related to sexuality and citizenship, the paper will present the perspective of young women on their experiences of sexuality and pregnancy at early ages. Some of them point to views that teenage pregnancy appears as associated to a school pathway lived with disaffection and educational institutions not well prepared to build relationships concerning sexual citizenship and intimacy. Pregnancy and maternity are seeing as a central project in the lives of some of these girls. Teenage pregnancy and maternity appear as connected with a cycle already lived in their families - as a cultural reproduction cycle. However, these are some of the results, but a much more subtle interpretation will follow their singular pathways.

References

AAPOLA, Sinikka; GONICK, Marnina; HARRIS, Anita (2005) Young femininity: Girlhood, power and social change, Palgrave, Basingstoke ALMEIDA, Ana Nunes; VILAR, Duarte; ANDRÉ, Isabel; LALANDA, Piedade (2004) Fecundidade e Contracepção. Lisboa, ICS ARAÚJO, Helena C. (2008) “Teachers’ perspectives in Portugal and recent institutional contributions on citizenship education” in Journal of Social Science Education (JSSE) © JSSE 2008, Volume 6, Number 2, February, ISSN 1618-5293, pp 73-83, http://www.jsse.org/2007-2/index.html ARNOT, Madeleine, ARAUJO, Helena, Deliyanni, Kiki, Ivinson, Gabrielle & Tome, Amparo (2000) “Changing Femininity, Changing Concepts in Public and Private Spheres” in European Journal of Women’s Studies, 7, 149-168 FERRAROTTI, Franco (1983) Histoire et Histoires de Vie, Paris: Librairie des Méridiens FONSECA, Laura (2007) “Corpo falado: sexualidades, poder e educação” in Educação, Sociedade e Culturas, 25, 135-168 FONSECA, Laura (2001) Culturas Juvenis, Percursos Femininos – experiências e subjectividades na educação de raparigas, Lisboa: Celta GIDDENS, Anthony (1996) Transformações da Intimidade: Sexualidade, Amor e Erotismo nas sociedades modernas. Oeiras: Celta Editora. KEHILY, Mary Jane (2002) Sexuality, gender end schooling shifting agendes in social learning, London: Routledge Falmer LEES, Sue (2000) Sexuality and citizenship education, in Madeleine Arnot & Jo-Anne Dillabough (orgs.) Challenging Democracy – international perspectives on Gender, Education and Citizenship, London/ New York: Routledge/Falmer, 259-277 MAC AN GHAILL, Mártín (1994) The Making of Men: Masculinities, sexualities and schooling, Buckingham: Open University Press PLUMMER, Ken (2001) Documents of Life 2 – an invitation to a critical humanism, Londres: Sage REDGRAVE, Katy/ LIMMER, Mark (2006) Sexual decision-making among ulnerable young women, Rochdale Teenage Pregnancy Strategy RICHARDSON, Eileen H. and TURNER, Bryan S. (2001) Review article: Sexual, intimate or reproductive citizenship? Citizenship Studies 5, 3, pp329-338 ROGOW, Deborah & HABERLAND, Nicole (2005) Sexuality and relationships education: toward a social studies approach, Sex Education, Vol. 5, No. 4, November 2005, pp. 333–344 SHIELD, Rob (1996) The Dialogical Challenge to Verstehen, British Journal of Sociology, June 1996, http://www.carleton.ca/~rshields/versdial.html YOUNG, Iris Marion (1997)Intersecting Voices - dilemmas of gender, political philosophy, and policy. Princeton e New Jersey: Princeton University Press WALKERDINE, V., Lucey, H. e Melody, J. (2001) Growing Up Girl: Psychosocial Explorations of Gender and Class. London: Palgrave VILAR, Duarte e GASPAR, Ana Micaela (1999) Traços Redondos – A gravidez em Mães Adolescentes in Pais Machado (ed) Traços e Riscos de Vida; Lisboa: ISSUL- Ambar

Author Information

Laura da Fonseca

University of Porto/CIIE/FPCE/ PORTUGAL

Education Department

Porto

174

Helena C. Araújo