Sexual "Liberation" and the Older Woman in Contemporary Mainland China

Over the past two decades, the People's Republic of China has witnessed a growing media debate concerning traditional injunctions against romance, sex, and marriage in later life. This article explores middle-aged and older Chinese women's attitudes concerning sex in later life, the actual...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Modern China 2005-01, Vol.31 (1), p.115-147
Main Author: Shea, Jeanne L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Age groups
Ageing
Aging
Attitudes
China
Discourse Analysis
Educational Attainment
Elderly
Females
Gender
Human sexual behavior
Husbands
Information Sources
Liberation
Marriage
Media
Menopause
Middle age
Middle Aged Adults
News Media
Older adults
Older people
Opposite Sex Relations
Peoples Republic of China
Sex education
Sex Role Attitudes
Sexual Behavior
Sexual behaviour
Sexuality
Social change
Social generations
Social Policy
Sociodemographic Factors
Women
Womens education
Womens Roles
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Over the past two decades, the People's Republic of China has witnessed a growing media debate concerning traditional injunctions against romance, sex, and marriage in later life. This article explores middle-aged and older Chinese women's attitudes concerning sex in later life, the actual prevalence of sexual activity among these women, and the relation of their sexual attitudes to their sexual behavior. By comparing media discourse on the sexual "liberation" of Chinese elders to the views and behaviors reported by 200 rural and 199 urban Chinese women between the ages of 40 and 65, it demonstrates that this discourse is based on many inaccurate assumptions about older Chinese women and the role of "feudalism" in their lives. In addition, the article examines how factors typically associated with "feudalism"--including exposure to various information sources, place of residence, education level, and household composition--relate to women's sexual views and activity.
ISSN:0097-7004
1552-6836
DOI:10.1177/0097700404270674