Singular or plural? Diversification of the sexual initiation paths/processes of young Brazilians

Abstract

This article discusses the processes of entering into sexuality with a partner, addressing issues related to the permanence and/or changes in gender relations and morality that circumscribe the exercise of sexuality at this stage of life. We use data from the socio-anthropological multi-situated survey “Young people in the digital age,” in which 194 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 were interviewed about their affective-sexual trajectories, between 2021 and 2022 – the period immediately after the number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic cooled down. In this text, we reflect on the process of socialization towards sexuality based on three biographical cases, which provide a wealth of dimensions and specificities that lead us to argue in terms of the diversification of youth processes in socialization towards sexuality in current times.