Mothers, daughters and sex: the negotiation of young women's sexuality in Britain and Hong Kong

In Western sociology, much has been made of the impact of rapid social change on sexual lives over the last half century, represented as a consequence of modernity and often as a story of progress, or, in Weeks's (2007) words, 'the world we have won'. The 'world', however, generally means the Western world. This article is based on comparative qualitative research in Britain and Hong Kong, and explores how the sexuality of young women is managed and negotiated within families, particularly between mothers and daughters. In outlining similarities and differences between Britain and Hong Kong, we argue that these are not simple outcomes of the progress of modernity, or of cultural differences alone, but are related to the material conditions of life in each locale. In making this argument we hope to contribute to moving debates on sexuality and modernity beyond their currently Eurocentric focus.