‘Consent’ is not the answer

TOO much of the coverage of the rugby rape trial has focused on class and privilege and the idea that teaching ‘consent’ is the answer to all our problems with sex.

It’s easy to deplore the behaviour of those from privileged backgrounds and to talk about the culture of rugby and of private schools.

I think this is an evasion. The trial raised far broader concerns about a culture of permissiveness, where casual sex is regarded by many young people as entirely normal and unproblematic. This affects all areas of society, not just the well-off. Unfortunately, the talk of ‘consent’ and how this needs to be taught in schools is utterly inadequate. That continues to regard sex as a routine event, entirely harmless so long as all parties agree to it.

To present sex in this way will only perpetuate the culture and lead to a lot more misery.