Talk about sexual miscommunication

Underpinned by the influential literature on gender differences in communication (e.g., Tannen, 1991), miscommunication theory claims that sexual violence is a problem that can be solved through better communication skills: this theory is used not only by social scientists, but also by young women talking about their experiences of sexual coercion. This paper draws on young women's accounts of miscommunication, not as supporting evidence for miscommunication theory, but to explore the functional utility of miscommunication theory as a participant resource. We argue that sexual miscommunication theory is useful for women attempting to sustain heterosexual relationships because it: (a) avoids blaming men; (b) gives women a sense of control; and (c) obscures institutionalised gender power relations. This paper raises questions about the uncritical validation of women's experiences and about the ways in which, both as analysts and as feminists, we theorise the experiences of the women we study. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.