The Issue of Agency

In “Unsexy Sex: Unwanted Sex, Sexual Coercion, and Rape”, Gavey tells the stories of a few women she has interviewed. One way or another, it appears each of the women Gavey interviewed felt some level of coercion in their sexual experiences. That isn’t to say they were raped—that would be a hard case to sell, even to the women themselves. But they did feel influenced to make a certain decision in favour of their partner, which was often not in favour of themselves.

During Wednesday’s class, one of the topics passed around the room for discussion involved the question of agency. Agency is a common term used in feminist discussions and it often comes up in instances of sexual assault. The question which usually comes to mind is whether or not a sexual assault victim possessed agency while they were being assaulted. In the courtroom, it can be the presence of agency—or lack thereof—which determines the verdict. Victims who lack agency are often perceived as obvious victims; victims who may not have been under immediate, physical threat and therefore could be seen as having an opportunity to enact their agency have a much harder time convincing others of their case’s legitimacy.

The stories which Gavey writes about in her article bring to mind this question of agency. While their sexual relationships were willing ones in which they consented to being intimate with their partners, I can’t help but wonder how much their decisions must have been influenced by their peers and the environment they grew up in. Psychology tells us youth are extremely impressionable, so what does that mean for a girl like Marilyn who let her boyfriend have his way with her in order for him to stay with her? On the other hand, it cannot be easily argued Marilyn was completely without agency either. After all, she chose the boys she got into relationships with and proceeded to get in their cars. But she made the choice because the other option (as she saw it) was social rejection.

In my opinion, pop culture discussions surrounding the topic of sexual assault are oversimplified. A case cannot be completely determined legitimate based on who possessed (the most) agency, or whether or not the victim had agency or not. The issue of agency is not an easily identifiable one and I imagine there are many cases in which a victim had a window of opportunity to enact their agency and chose not to because the other option was a less favourable one.