Hannah Brown

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Hirshfield, Laura

Keywords

Abstinence, Education, Purity, Religion, Gender, Christianity, Sexuality

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

This study investigates meanings of the word purity in the context of participants' interpretations of the messaging present in Catholic and Evangelical abstinence education programs. Preexisting literature focuses on gendered notions of sexual morality in the context of patriarchy and the effectiveness of abstinence education in terms of when and how participants have sex. This study investigates how gendered notions of sexual morality are nuanced by the role of religion and individual interpretation, focusing on meaning-making rather than sexual activity. Through qualitative analysis of 14 interviews with young adults who formerly were participants in Christian abstinence education, this study identifies four major overlapping frameworks of understanding purity: 1. "passive morality," or abstinence from sexual activity; 2. purity as emotional work; 3. purity as a renewable state of freedom from sin; and 4. "doing purity," or purity as a presentational accomplishment. The study concludes by suggesting that researchers focus more on lived experiences and ideology among Christian abstinence education participants and that sex education programs of all types spend more time unpacking various gendered frameworks of sexual morality.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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