Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

To consent or not to consent - Is age the question?

By Rose Cooper - posted Monday, 7 March 2005


On the flip side of the coin - a girl of 16 is fair game to any adult of any age. None of that makes sense to me.

Of course, I am only seeing this through the prism of my dysfunctionally childhooded, hairy-legged feminist and jaded-with-age perspective. Seeing as I am no longer a teenager, nor am I male, I thought I should ask my 17-year-old son what he thought the age of consent should be. He had a think and came back to me with 18. “Okay,” I challenged … “so if you were in a committed relationship right now, with someone your own age - you’d wait till you were both 18 before you had sex?”

“Probably not,” he conceded. So I had to ask him why he picked 18 out of the air. He said, “Because 16 is too young for a girl to have a baby”.

Advertisement

By his reckoning, the whole question of consent lay solely in the female’s ability to deal with an unplanned pregnancy, should it occur. Ironically, it never occurred to me to gauge it that way. However, my point was proven: He was subconsciously thinking of it purely from the perspective of what the female’s age should be. The male’s age didn’t factor into it.

The Liberals of WA are pushing for the age of consent for gay males to be raised to 18. Is it because they actually consider these boys to be more female than male? Less manly - less able to make up their mind as to where to stick their dick when it gets hard?

The question of consent has never really been directed at men - until now. Why is that? Honestly, how does it make sense to say that a boy is able to consent to one kind of sexual act at 16, but not another?

Two 14-year-olds having sex with each other doesn’t bother me at all - children experiment, it’s part of growing up and discovering the world. It’s less likely to occur when the two are well educated about sex. It’s ironic that many early explorations are same-sex encounters, which alludes to the fact that exploring sexuality is more about sating curiosity, seeking acceptance and it’s fuelled by the society-fed delusion that sexual desire is an expression of love. Given that people want to get on their high horse about sex and love … why can’t they figure out that homosexuality has less to do with sex than it has to do with love, spiritual connection and the desire to pair-bond? As babies and toddlers our need to be loved and to love is completely non gender specific because it’s about love.

If sexual consent is a purely moral issue - why be gender specific?

In my view gender and age are not as relevant in the question of consent as is the comparative age of the parties concerned. In that instance, every case would be taken on its own merit and the onus would always been more heavily placed on the perpetrator of the so-called “corruption” than on the person who was so-called “corrupted”.

Advertisement

Nothing in my argument condones pedophilia - let’s get that completely straight. I’m referring only to situations where both parties are post-puberty and the age-gap is greater than four years.

The concept of age as a measure of emotional intelligence is ludicrous. I’m 11 years older than my current husband. He was 24 when we met - the age gap was irrelevant as far as both of us were concerned (but not as far as his mother was concerned, I might add).

The question of consent, age gaps and morals is so subjective. I really have no clue how to answer it. I didn’t say I had any answers - just lots of questions.

The only thing I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is that if the number is 16 it should remain the same, whether you are gay or straight.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

26 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Rose Cooper is a freelance writer and actor who has contributed to many national publications over the past 20 years. She was Australian Women's Forum Magazine's most prolific contributor as well as their Sex Advice Columnist. Her areas of expertise include comedy, women's health and sexuality issues, relationships, theatre and pop culture. For more of Rose's articles visit: www.insiderose.com

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Rose Cooper

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 26 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy