"If you mean no, then damn you have to say no..." : Men and women's perceptions of sexual consent and how consent is practiced.

The new law of consent in Sweden came into force in 2018 and the purpose of the law has been to clarify each person's right to personal and sexual integrity. The law has both been praised and criticized by many people. This study examines and problematizes how the new law of consent is perceived by men and women and what characterizes sexual consent. A qualitative research method was used in the study whereby eight heterosexual men and seven heterosexual women of different ages were interviewed. Empirical data of the study has been analyzed with the help of theories of sexual script and gender-based power. The theoretical framework of the study has also been shaped by understandings of changeable discourses of sexuality and sexual consent. The study shows that sexual consent is a complex process as it is an aspect of intimate relations involving sexual interaction and thereby includes many gray zones. How sexual consent is exercised in practice depends on whether men and women are in stable relationships or have temporary partners. Heterosexual norms about sexuality based on gender power characterize how sexual consent is exercised. The consent process is described as quite abstract by several informants as non-verbal consent seems to be most common during the sex act