Girls, Boys and Junior Sexualities

This book explores the complexities of young children's sexualities, emphasizing how school culture and gender identities shape their experiences. Girls, Boys and Junior Sexualities offers valuable insights for educators and researchers.

This book provides an insightful and in-depth exploration of the hidden worlds of young children's sexualities. Through extensive group interviews and observations, the author reveals how sexuality is intricately woven into children's school-based cultures and their evolving gender identities. By examining children's perspectives and experiences, the narrative delves into various topical and sensitive issues that shape their understanding of sexuality.

Girls, Boys and Junior Sexualities highlights the primary school environment as a crucial social arena for 'doing' sexuality. It discusses how children's friendships and peer relationships are influenced by their sexual identities and the pressures to conform to traditional gender roles. The author also addresses the use of gendered and sexual insults among children, illustrating how these behaviors serve to reinforce societal norms related to gender and sexuality.

Grounded in real-life experiences, the book traces children's struggles, anxieties, desires, and pleasures as they navigate their emerging sexualities. It includes candid discussions about the challenges posed by compulsory heterosexuality, the dynamics of boyfriend/girlfriend culture, and issues such as misogyny and sexual harassment. Girls, Boys and Junior Sexualities serves as a valuable resource for researchers, educators, and students in fields such as childhood studies, sociology, and psychology, as well as professionals and policymakers engaged with young children.