Taking the Chaste Out of Chastisement: An Analysis of the Sexual Implications of the Corporal Punishment of Children

This article analyses research and theoretical material from sociological and psychological sources to explore the sexual implications of the corporal punishment of children. Through explicating and utilizing a social constructionist perspective, not only are the shortcomings of some of the current arguments against corporal punishment exposed, but such a perspective enables us to additionally understand how such practices can be construed in a sexualized manner, either by the child or the adult, and hence in some cases can be seen to constitute a form of sexual as well as physical abuse.