Description
Book SynopsisGender and Sexual Agency considers how heterosexual Latino American, Asian American and white youth negotiate sexual encounters. In particular, the book examines sexual agency: exploring the question of why some young people assertively pursue what they want in a sexual encounter, while others go along with sexual activity they do not want. By comparing both young men and young women, Albanesi offers a unique perspective on how an individual''s emotional experience of gender informs his or her willingness to exercise sexual agency. Using interviews to support her theoretical argument, Albanesi describes 11 different types of sexual agency, ranging from having strong convictions about their sexual decisions to abdicating responsibility to their partner. As the expressers of sexual agency, the voices of these youth from primarily working-class backgrounds come through to take us into their sexual decisions as they understand and experience them within the context of their lives. Ultimate
Trade ReviewGender and Sexual Agency will be of great interest to those in sociology, psychology, and women's studies, particularly those who specialize in gender and/or sexual behavior. This book also has the potential to generate debate among genders scholars….Albanesi's overall theoretical argument and subsequent analysis is totally engrossing and convincing….a This book will likely become a favorite among many scholars and students. * Psychology of Women Quarterly, June 2010 *
Table of ContentsPart 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Sexual Landscape Today: A Promise Unfulfilled? Chapter 3 Gender and Sexual Agency Part 4 Expressing Agency Chapter 5 Shari—Playing the Game Chapter 6 Juan—Refusing a 'Player' Masculinity Chapter 7 Qui—Maintaining a Christian Identity Chapter 8 Maya—Asserting a Feminine Vulnerability Chapter 9 Claire—"My Parents Can Count on Me" Part 10 Eschewing Agency Chapter 11 Margaret—Deferring to Partner Pressure Chapter 12 Antonio—Choosing to Abdicate Control Chapter 13 Laura—Deferring to Momentum Part 14 Moving Toward Agency Chapter 15 Carolyn—A Cynical Romantic Chapter 16 Lilly—Moving toward Mutuality Chapter 17 Michael—Keeping Sex Special Part 18 Conclusion Chapter 19 Personal Sense of Gender and Sexual Agency
