Sexual coercion in high school dating

Abstract

Retrospective data from a survey of Australian undergraduate university students indicated that sexual coercion leading to sex play and sexual intercourse is a feature of dating behavior in high school. Fifty-three percent of 217 females reported that a boy had “overestimated the level of sexual intimacy⋯desired,” while 45 percent of 72 males reported that a girl had “underestimated the level of sexual intimacy⋯desired.” While data was not gathered on ethnic origin, the majority of students were Australian born, although family of origin would have been culturally varied. The data illustrate sexual coercion leading to both sex play and intercourse, with a number of factors being implicated in its occurrence, including alcohol and drugs and males “saying things they didn't really mean,” through to threat and use of force. They support that the existence of sexual coercion among high school students, a population that has received little research attention in this area, is comparable to its existence in the college/university years.