Comunicación del consentimiento sexual y del rechazo en jóvenes varones ecuatorianos

The aim of this study was to understand the perspectives of Ecuadorian young men regarding the communication and interpretation of sexual consent and rejection. For this purpose, from a qualitative approach, 4 focus groups were conducted with 32 male youth, who were students from both public and private high schools and universities. The information collected was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that ambiguity prevails in the communication and interpretation of both sexual consent and rejection, aspects that are conditioned by sociocultural constructs that hinder its direct and free expression. Furthermore, sexual consent is described as an evolving, spiral-like process, in which alcohol consumption acts as a catalyst. It is concluded that there is a need for sexual consent education in the male population, which includes the lived experiences of masculine youth culture and challenge sociocultural constructs that complicate the communication of consent, as well as the normalized consumption of alcohol in the development of sexual encounters.