ABSTRACT
Although we are not always aware of it, many of us try to conduct our relationships according to a set of unwritten rules about relationships, sex and gender. These ‘rules’ shape our expectations about relationships and are themselves shaped by the communities we live in, the media we engage with and the people we have relationships with. The activities in this chapter invite young people to identify and think critically about these ‘rules’ and explore alternative and perhaps more ethical ways of doing relationships. We draw on the work of researchers Jenny Walsh, Anne Mitchell and Mandy Hudson who have developed an ethical framework for relationships, based on research by Moira Carmody. This framework structures our chapter and underpins our approach to ethical relationships.
