The Globe and Mail
5.8.12 | ZOSIA BIELSKI
More than one in 10 Canadians believe spouses and long-term partners don’t need to bother getting consent from each other before having sex, according to a troubling new survey from the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
Conducted last month, the online poll of 1,500 Canadians suggests many aren’t clear on the definition of sexual consent. In this country, consent is defined as both affirmative and ongoing during sexual activity, a point only a third recognized throughout the survey.
“The idea that you need ongoing consent when you’ve been together for 30 years – this is where some people have an information gap,” says Anuradha Dugal, director of violence prevention at the foundation. “Yes, even after 30 years, it has to be consensual.”
The survey showed that some Canadians view consent as less and less important the longer couples remain together. While 97 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe consent is required between people on a date or between new partners, 12 per cent didn’t think it was always needed between spouses. Some 11 per cent didn’t think it was a must between long-term partners.
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