PUNITIVISM AND SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN ARGENTINA. EMERGING CONFIGURATIONS IN LEGAL EDUCATION

CONFIGURACIONES EMERGENTES EN LA FORMACIÓN JURÍDICA

Abstract

This article presents the results of a descriptive study that employs a quantitative methodology, based on a survey (N=383) regarding the perceptions and stances of senior law students at the National University of Córdoba (Argentina) concerning punitivism and sexual and reproductive rights (SRR). The objective is to analyze the tensions between punitivist and anti-punitivist positions, as well as the adherence to gender policies and SRR, within the context of a polarized public debate. The study utilized a quantitative descriptive design through the application of a questionnaire to a sample of 383 students. The instrument evaluated positions on the punitive scale, gender perspective, the legal status of SRR, institutional trust, and digital information consumption patterns. The findings reveal a selective legal-political culture: a majority and consistent adherence to sexual education and the legalization of abortion, alongside hybrid stances on criminal punishment, including support for lowering the age of criminal responsibility and the rejection of the death penalty. The conclusions propose interpretations that link, to varying degrees, the emerging configurations in legal education. The originality of the study lies in the combination of diverse variables that pave the way for a deeper understanding of the correlations between punitivism and sexuality in contexts of rights restriction, where institutional distrust and the predominant consumption of information via social media are key contextual factors taken into consideration.