Too Young to Love? School, Family, and the Gendered Construction of "Early Love" in 21st-Century China

• In Event: 50260 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 3: Gender, Sexuality, and Intimacy in Contemporary East Asian Contexts

Abstract

Adolescent dating is often seen as a natural stage of transition to adulthood in many societies. In contemporary China, however, “early love” (known as zaolian in Chinese) has long been viewed as a social problem. Adolescent romantic relationships, typically before college, are often suppressed and thought to be prevented by school authorities and families. Drawing on 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews with Chinese-born individuals aged 19 to 30 who completed varying levels of primary, secondary, and higher education in China, this study investigates how early love was framed, regulated, and experienced within school and family environments. Regulations on early love are found to be highly prevalent and experienced by all participants. Early love is often framed as a distraction from education and, for girls, as a risk of facing severe consequences, namely, pregnancy. The notion of early love is created and maintained in a cultural environment where discussions of sex remain highly constrained; sex education in families is rare, and in schools, it is typically limited to a brief physiological overview. Structurally, China’s long school hours and high-stakes exam system reinforce a societal emphasis on academic achievement. Despite these known regulations, this study finds that many adolescents engaged in strategic compliance, hiding relationships to avoid disciplinary action. This performative adherence to the prevalent norms perpetuates social control of adolescent behavior, particularly for girls. In contrast to prior research that often centers on state ideology, this study focuses on the social forces in schools and families. By centering the lived experiences of young people, I show how individuals negotiate social control in their daily lives. This study contributes to sociological discussions on social control, education, gender, and norm reproduction by examining how early love is understood and its regulations enforced, complied with, and sustained.

Author

• Shirley Boya Ouyang, University of California-Irvine