'They've said I'm vulnerable with men' : doing sexuality on locked wards

Fish, Rebecca Mary (2016) 'They've said I'm vulnerable with men' : doing sexuality on locked wards. Sexualities, 19 (5-6). pp. 641-658. ISSN 1363-4607

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Abstract

In intellectual disability services, women’s sexuality has long been considered a problem, with women being removed from their residences and segregated from men as a form of protection. This paper draws on ethnographic research based on a secure unit for people with intellectual disabilities in England. It suggests that staff and clients are concerned about the client mix on the unit, and that staff feel protective towards women service-users. Physical contact on the wards is highly regulated and all spaces are described as ‘public’, therefore women are not afforded privacy to explore their sexuality. During interviews, many of the women disclosed experiences of childhood sexual abuse and some were unsure about their sexual orientation. This paper argues that life on the locked ward positions intellectually disabled women as both sexually vulnerable and as fundamentally asexual. This prevents women from learning the skills needed to make informed choices about sexual partners.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Sexualities
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3318
Subjects:
?? intellectual disabilitiessexualityforensic servicesinstitutional ethnographywomengender studiesanthropology ??
ID Code:
81117
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
14 Sep 2016 15:32
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
28 Nov 2023 11:50