Heteronormative and unspeakable. Sexuality, from medical training to consultations
Type de matériel :
TexteLangue : français Détails de publication : 2025.
Ressources en ligne : Abrégé : Based on doctoral research in sociology, this article examines the reproduction of sexual norms, from medical training for professionals who prescribe contraception (general practitioners, gynecologists, and midwives) through to clinical consultations with patients. Little addressed in training, sexuality takes a back seat during contraceptive consultations, even when patients raise the topic themselves and opportunities for discussion are limited. This article is based on qualitative interviews with thirty-one healthcare professionals and on the observation of a hundred medical consultations in public and private healthcare facilities in the Toulouse region. The analysis is complemented by a review of a face-to-face medical course and a written midwifery course. The findings show that, being insufficiently prepared to address the topic, health care professionals often treat sexuality as a “taboo”, both theoretically (in training) and empirically (in consultations), or discuss it exclusively within a heteronormative framework. Nevertheless, the unspeakability of sexuality in consultations is avoidable, since its degree varies according to the characteristics of healthcare structures (payment system, professional composition, or even the politicization of caregivers).
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Based on doctoral research in sociology, this article examines the reproduction of sexual norms, from medical training for professionals who prescribe contraception (general practitioners, gynecologists, and midwives) through to clinical consultations with patients. Little addressed in training, sexuality takes a back seat during contraceptive consultations, even when patients raise the topic themselves and opportunities for discussion are limited. This article is based on qualitative interviews with thirty-one healthcare professionals and on the observation of a hundred medical consultations in public and private healthcare facilities in the Toulouse region. The analysis is complemented by a review of a face-to-face medical course and a written midwifery course. The findings show that, being insufficiently prepared to address the topic, health care professionals often treat sexuality as a “taboo”, both theoretically (in training) and empirically (in consultations), or discuss it exclusively within a heteronormative framework. Nevertheless, the unspeakability of sexuality in consultations is avoidable, since its degree varies according to the characteristics of healthcare structures (payment system, professional composition, or even the politicization of caregivers).




Réseaux sociaux