Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This study explored the experiences of young women attending a fee-paying school, to examine how we might understand agentic practice within their intimate and sexual relationships. Following a period of participant observation at the school, five focus group discussions were facilitated with young women in the Sixth Form. Fifty-four young women took part in these, discussing how it felt to be a young woman today, their experiences of attending school, and providing their responses to a series of quotes from previous research on young women’s experiences of sexuality and intimate relationships. All young women from the Sixth Form were then invited to take part in an in-depth interview with the lead researcher. Thirty-one young women agreed to participate, and shared positive and negative experiences from their own sexual and intimate relationships.

Volunteer sample

Face-to-face interview

Observation

Focus group discussions