Interview with Amy, 17, White British, middle class. Women, Risk and Aids Project, Manchester, 1989. Original version including fieldnotes (Ref: EDD114)

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).Original transcript of an interview with a young woman aged 17 (Amy) who had recently moved to Manchester from a small town and is resitting her GCSE exams for the second time. Living at home with her parents and grandfather. Worried about dynamics within friendship groups where she is seen as the 'agony aunt'. Interested in a career in occupational therapy or speech therapy. Talked about competition between (platonic) girlfriends and standards or ideals of femininity. Is self-conscious about her figure. The sex education she received at school was poor, as her (male) teacher was embarrassed - she learnt more through her peers. Her child-care lessons provided her with information on conception, but not much else. Lots of her peers were sexually active and had been using the pill as their main method of contraception. AIDS was not discussed formally at school, and Amy had first heard it on the news. Her Health Studies Biology class has provided much more information on AIDS transmission and risk, which she found interesting. She seems confident in her understanding of safe-sex in relation to AIDS as using condoms. Amy feels there is pressure from friends to have a steady, romantic and sexual relationship. She is in a heterosexual relationship at the moment that she isn't too excited about, as she doesn't want anything too serious at the moment.