Underpinned by the influential literature on gender differences in com
munication (e.g., Tannen, 1991), miscommunication theory claims that s
exual violence is a problem that can be solved through better communic
ation skills: this theory is used not only by social scientists, but a
lso by young women talking about their experiences of sexual coercion.
This paper draws on young women's accounts of miscommunication, not a
s supporting evidence for miscommunication theory, but to explore the
functional utility of miscommunication theory as a participant resourc
e. We argue that sexual miscommunication theory is useful for women at
tempting to sustain heterosexual relationships because it: (a) avoids
blaming men; (b) gives women a sense of control; and (c) obscures inst
itutionalised gender power relations. This paper raises questions abou
t the uncritical validation of women's experiences and about the ways
in which, both as analysts and as feminists, we theorise the experienc
es of the women we study. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.