Learning Too Late? A Life-Course Analysis of Sexuality Education and Gendered Consequences in China

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 17: Bodies, Embodiment, and Reproductive Politics

Abstract

This study draws on life course theory and gender socialization perspectives to examine how early sexuality education experiences shape adulthood outcomes in China. Based on semi-structured interviews with 40 individuals born between 1995 and 2003 who completed compulsory education in mainland China, thematic analysis was conducted to explore the structure of sexuality education sources, knowledge acquisition processes, and their long-term consequences. Findings show that school- and family-based sexuality education was generally limited and characterized by avoidance, leaving individuals’ practical concerns insufficiently addressed. Many participants therefore, relied on peers and online platforms for compensatory learning. Although most reported achieving relatively comprehensive knowledge in adulthood, key information was often acquired only after entering intimate relationships or facing contraceptive decisions, indicating a temporal lag between need and learning. This delay produced gendered effects: women more frequently internalized responsibility for risk prevention and experienced greater emotional pressure, whereas men were less likely to perceive early informational gaps as problematic and expressed more ambiguous views of responsibility. The study demonstrates how institutional gaps in sexuality education translate into gender-differentiated social consequences across the life course.

Authors

• Mengrui Zhu, XI'AN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY

• Jirong Guo