Gender, social background and sexual attitudes among Chinese students

Chinese society is changing rapidly. As a result of the political and economic reforms of the 'socialist market economy', for example, people have more choices than before. To examine current attitudes to sexual behaviour and marriage, 1100 university students from different parts of China were asked to talk about their views on marriage and choosing a marriage partner, and to describe their own sexual behaviours. Views about 'male superiority' in marriage, for age, education and height persisted, especially for women. Overall, attitudes to sexual behaviours were less open then in the West. However, young people from the cities with educated/professional parents showed more liberal attitudes than those from rural backgrounds. While some attitudes are changing, evidence concerning behaviour change is not so clear. There are important implications for the HIV/AIDS awareness programmes and sex education.