title: Narratives of Compensated Dating of Girls in Hong Kong Using Routine Activity Theory: Results of a Focus Group Study of Guardians.
abstract: This article presents public discourses on compensated dating of adolescent girls in Chinese society. Data are obtained from eight focus groups comprising 50 guardians at private, parochial, and public levels (i.e., social workers, police officers, parents of students, and community representatives). Qualitative data are used to demonstrate how the guardians conceptualize and contextualize compensated dating as an outcome of the dynamics of societal features. Social features such as contemporary ideologies, Internet technology advancement, commercialization of human relationships, and ambiguity between "right" and "wrong" motivate the service providers and customers of compensated dating, and accelerate their convergence and weakened levels of guardianship in society. This study is the first to connect the features of compensated dating of adolescent girls with recent societal changes using the routine activity approach. The findings confirm the application of the routine activity approach in the phenomenon of girls' compensated dating, and also offer theoretical and practical implications.
authors.affiliation: 1 City University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Jessica C M
authors.initials: JCM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 1 City University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chau-Kiu
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: 1 City University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Cindy X S
authors.initials: CXS
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: 1 City University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yolanda M Y
authors.initials: YMY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: 1 City University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011639:Public Opinion; D011477:Sex Work
keywords: Chinese; adolescent girls; commercial sex; compensated dating; guardians