Content area
Full text
We studied the sexual behaviors of young, unmarried women living in rural China with a special focus on sexual debut, sexual risk-taking behaviors, and reproductive health consequences. The analysis was based on 40 in-depth interviews with young women who had undergone induced abortion, as well as information from focus group discussions. Study participants identified pornographic videos, parents' tacit approval, and even encouragement as factors instigating their sexual debut. Reasons for unprotected intercourse included spontaneous sexual activity, misconceptions about fertility and the effective use of contraceptives, and the lack of negotiation skills. The results indicate the importance of making reproductive health education more accessible to rural populations in China, a group usually considered to be more traditional and less likely to engage in premarital sex.
Many studies document the new liberal attitude toward sexual behavior that has emerged among young people in China following China's opening to international markets in the early 1980s (Higgins, Zheng, Liu, & Sun, 2002; Zhang, Li, Li, & Beck, 1999). As the average age at first marriage among Chinese youth has increased and the average age at first intercourse has decreased, Chinese youth are spending longer periods of their lives being sexually active while single (Gao, Tu, & Lou, 2003; Li, 2000). As a correlate of this recent trend, increasingly more Chinese youth engage in sexual behaviors that place them at risk of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and reproductive tract infections (RTIs; Cao, Wang, Wen, & Cao, 2000; Xu, 1998). Since the traditional focus of sex education programs in China has been on married couples, unmarried Chinese women and, in particular, those in rural settings may have little understanding of STDs and RTIs. In rural areas where distances to medical facilities are greater and women are less educated, RTI rates are notably high, with up to 60% of rural women suffering from RTIs in some villages (UNAIDS, 2002).
Changing Norms in Rural China
Unique cultural norms in operation in rural parts of China have made it easier for young couples to engage in premarital sex there (Merli & Smith, 2002; Yan, 2003). The population movement from rural to urban areas has notably affected traditional culture in rural China. Combined with the decline of the traditional extended family, rural...