Young women's understanding and experience of sexual consent in Slovakia: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

This study explores the complexities of how young women construct and experience sexual consent, within the framework of sexual scripting in Slovakia, where traditional Catholic values, postfeminist ideals, and right-wing anti-gender rhetoric in a post-socialist context continue to hinder the provision of comprehensive sex education. Seven heterosexual women aged 20-25 participated in semi-structured interviews analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three main themes were identified: (1) certainty of defining and uncertainty in experiencing consent, revealing ambivalence between ideals and lived experience; (2) boundary-crossing and the reconstruction of consent, as participants reconciled personal experiences with internalised scripts; and (3) the sociocultural background of consent, marked by silence, limited education, but also by feminist narratives that fostered reinterpretation of consent and empowerment. Participants primarily defined consent in terms of explicit refusal, while affirmative consent was often communicated nonverbally. Experiences of coercion shaped participants' understanding and expression of consent. From a phenomenological perspective, the study demonstrates that consent is not merely a verbal or legal act but a mutual, embodied, and relational experience grounded in intimacy between partners. Prioritising education that promotes agency, safety, and mutual understanding is essential for fostering healthier sexual relationships.