Beyond Surviving: Gender Differences in Response to Early Sexual Experiences With Adults

The aim of this research project was to explore how men and women constructed a sense of self through narrative following an early sexual experience with an adult. Using narrative inquiry methodology, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted in New South Wales, Australia, with 13 women and 9 men ages between 25 and 70. All participants had an early sexual experience at the age of 15 or younger with someone 18 or older. Narrative analysis was used to examine the co-constructed stories that emerged. Participants told four evolving narratives about their experiences: narratives of silence, of ongoing suffering, of transformation, and of transcendence. The gender differences between these narratives have been examined in the light of the literature relating to childhood sexual abuse, the victim and survivor discourses, and the social construction of gender.