Zarafonetis Sexuality in a Changing China

Young Women, Sex and Intimate Relations in the Reform Period
Erscheinungsjahr 2017
ISBN: 978-1-315-29391-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 180 Seiten

Reihe: Routledge Research on Gender in Asia Series

China has experienced rapid economic and social change since the beginning of the 'Open Door' policy in 1978. Yet at the same time, the legacy of the Mao era remains and elements of Confucianism continue to exist in the reform period. As a result, traditional views concerning gender roles and sexual attitudes and practices persist. Based on interviews with forty-three women in Shanghai, this book investigates the way in which young women, born under the one child policy in China, consider sexuality and intimate relations in the 21st Century. Covering their thoughts and views on issues such as sex education, the rise of ‘dating culture’ and ‘ideal’ husbands, it is argued that reform China offers young women a series of contradictory expectations of sex and relationships. Despite the Party-State rhetoric of equality, participant narratives ultimately highlight the limited discourse of desire and sexual autonomy available to young women, the prevalence of essentialist notions of femininity and masculinity and the continuing norm of marriage as the only legitimate context for female sexual expression.

As a valuable contribution to the literature focusing on attitudes towards sexuality and relationships in post-Mao China, this title will be useful for students of Chinese Studies, Women’s Studies, Gender Studies and Sociology.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Zarafonetis, Nicole

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface

1. Introduction: Making Sense of Modernity in China

2. "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics": Women and Economic Reform

3. "At fifteen, we know nothing!": Approaches and Attitudes to Sex Education and Sexuality

4. "All they want is a sexy ayi": Dating and Intimate Relationships

5. "It’s like an unspoken rule": Exploring the Continuing Expectation of Marriage

6. Conclusion

Appendix – Summary of Participant Information

Glossary of Key Terms and Phrases

Über Autor(innen)

Nicole Zarafonetis holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of York. Currently an independent consultant, her research interests include international women’s issues with a focus on East Asia.