Subjectivity in Construction: Situating Desire and Pleasure in Heterosexual Relationships

The present research work Subjectivity in Construction of heterosexual relationships is an attempt to understand the gender positions taken up by men and women with regard to desire and pleasure in heterosexuals. This requires an insight into the developing sexual selves of the participants. Using the qualitative technique of discourse analysis, the focus was to cultivate an image of the sexual life of these young people such that one is able to see how the elements in the construction of their sexuality have coalesced resulting in the current positions. It became evident through an analysis of the narratives, that women were very much creatures of desire and pleasure who thought about their sexual nature, their needs and fantasies. They had no qualms in admitting and accepting the same to not just themselves but also to the external world. Among the men, it was seen that men were not uni-dimensional, single-minded and self-centered with regard to sex. Intimacy and emotionality were very much part of their sexual repertoire. Thus, the focus here has not been to complete the jigsaw but to understand how these pieces have come to be a part of this puzzle, being completely aware that the results would only be an entry point to understanding how these complex structures come about.