First Sexual Intercourse and Gender Inequality in China (Mainland)

Framed by Gagnon and Simon’s theory of sexual script, this ongoing study aims to understand Chinese heterosexual youth’s standpoints on scientific evidence of sexual violence (SV) and gender inequality associated with first sexual intercourse (FSI). Furthermore, to analyze the probability potential sexual violence in FSI. FSI is a major and memorable moment in one’s life. It generally effected by culture scripts and sex knowledge, which can differ by gender. Due to the relatively conservative social environment and the lack of high-quality sexual education, most young people in China do not possess sufficient knowledge to guide them in engaging in their first sexual experiences under safe conditions. Moreover, considering that Chinese society has a strong sexual shame culture prevalent in Asian societies, youth are thus hesitant to express their attitudes towards sexual desire or may not know how to do so in FSI. Hence, in FSI, inexperienced couples often lack the ability to articulate their intentions, which may lead to unarticulated and unwanted sexual encounters. Such FSIs would be considered a form of implicit SV, yet they are rarely disclosed in the Chinese cultural context. Additionally, as intimate relationships are established, young individuals believe that explicit sexual consent is unnecessary, thereby further increasing the likelihood of SV in context of intimate relationships. In the above context, this research will introduce a dialogical interview in group format, which would provide an equal and safe space enabling participants to share their standpoints and knowledge based on scientific evidence, give their voice, and provide their deep insight into SV in FSI. In the future, this study will contribute an Asian perspective to sexual script theory and is expected to provide data on the effectiveness of the dialogical conversation method in reducing sexual violence in Eastern societies.