Unwanted sexual activity among married women in urban China.
This paper examines the prevalence, precursors, and consequences of unwanted marital sex activities in a national sample of 1,127 married urban Chinese women aged 20-64. During the lifetime of their current marriage, 32% reported ever experiencing unwanted spousal intercourse, with about one-fifth reporting that this unwanted intercourse ever involved force. Reports for the past year were 21% unwanted intercourse, 22% unwanted sex act(s), and 72% sex only to please the husband. The major risk factors for these activities were poor relationship quality (hitting, lack of daily intimacy and foreplay, and husband insensitivity to wife's sexual needs); a woman's negative attitudes towards sex, and weak bargaining position (low income share, husband's family of superior economic status, and no additional adults in home). In addition, unwanted activity was more common when women reported sexual dysfunctions (dryness, pain, low arousal, inorgasmia), were more educated, and had more permissive sex attitudes. Net of feedback effects, unwanted sexual activity diminished women's psychological well-being.
Parish
William L
WL
Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, 1126 E. 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. w-parish@uchicago.edu
Luo
Ye
Y
Laumann
Edward O
EO
Kew
Melissa
M
Yu
Zhiyuan
Z
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003068:Coercion; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016387:Women's Health