The study explores how young people understand and relate to gender and sexuality, and how they navigate norms, expectations and possible sanctions in their social environments.
The project examines how young people today understand and relate to gender and sexuality, and how they navigate norms, expectations and potential sanctions within their peer environments.
Particular attention is given to young people who in different ways challenge established gender and sexuality norms. This includes young people who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth, and young people whose sexual orientation differs from heterosexuality.
We refer to the first group as young people experiencing gender dissonance and the second as queer youth.
The knowledge produced in the project is relevant for policymakers, professionals working directly with young people – including those involved in sexuality education – as well as for young people themselves.
The project addresses the following research questions
- What norms related to gender and sexuality exist among upper secondary school students, and how open are different school cultures to gender and sexual diversity?
- What particular challenges do young people face when they experience that they deviate from established gender and sexuality norms?
- What knowledge do young people have about sex and sexuality, and what do they feel they lack?
- What do young people understand as sex, and why do they have sex for the first time?
Data
The study draws on qualitative interviews from the dataset UngSex – Sexuality in adolescence. The database includes interviews with 153 young people aged 17–19 about their perspectives and experiences related to sexuality, sexual health and risk. Approximately one quarter of the participants identify as queer, and 13 participants report experiences of gender dissonance.
The sample is diverse in terms of sociodemographic background. Most participants were recruited from upper secondary schools in Oslo, but the study also includes interviews with young people from other cities and smaller towns.
