10.25377/sussex.10301588.v1
Rachel Thomson
Rachel
Thomson
Interview with Melanie, 21, White British, upper working class. Women, Risk and AIDS Project, 1989, Manchester. Anonymised version (Ref BT08)
University of Sussex
2020
Women's Employment
Aspirations
Sex Education
AIDS Disease
Interpersonal Relationships
Sexual Behaviour
Marriage
Birth Control
Health Care Facilities
Premarital Sex
First Sex
Sexual pleasure
Sexual Expectation
Abortion
Casual sex
Pill
Condoms
Women's magazines
Family planning clinic
Religious beliefs
Guilt
Moral values
Responsibility
Risk
Sexual reputation
Parent attitude
Love
Protestantism
Upper working class
Cosmopolitan Magazine
Sociology
Sociology not elsewhere classified
2020-03-04 10:56:49
Dataset
https://sussex.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Interview_with_Melanie_21_White_British_upper_working_class_Women_Risk_and_AIDS_Project_1989_Manchester_Anonymised_version_Ref_BT08_/10301588
This interview is part of the Women, Risk and Aids Project (1989-90) archive which was created as part of the Reanimating Data Project (2018-20).<div><br></div>Anonymised transcript of an interview with a young woman (Melanie) working for a large company in Manchester.
Discusses the different ‘divvy jobs’ she has done since leaving school and her plans to move to London the next month to live with her boyfriend. Interview also covers her experiences of sex education at school, which just covered the biological aspects, and at home where she has an ‘open’ relationship with her parents although her dad is a Christian who does not believe in sex outside of marriage. Talks about learning about AIDS from the media as a ‘gay disease’ and her perception of who is and is not at risk from AIDS. Discussion about what ‘sleeping around means’ and responds to questions about her knowledge of HIV, AIDS and safer sex.
In a discussion about contraception she states she has never used a condom and has a ‘narrow minded’ view of them. Uses the pill now after 8 months of unprotected sex. Describes ‘harrowing’ experiences of going to a sexual health clinic to get the pill and better experience going to see her GP. Also discusses her early sexual experiences as ‘devastating’ and unenjoyable and her current more enjoyable sexual experiences; her sexual expectations and how she learnt about sex and pleasure from her sister, friends and cosmo magazine. Talks about her own attitude to abortion as the only viable option if she had got pregnant and her friends anti-abortion attitudes.