Sexual Infidelity in China: Prevalence and Gender-Specific Correlates

Abstract

The nature of extra-relational sex in societies with rapidly changing sexual mores and widespread commercial sex remains under-explored. The 2006 Sexuality Survey of China provides a national probability survey with data on 3,567 people 18-49 years old who were in a marital (89%) or dating/cohabiting (11%) relationship. In attitudes, extramarital sex was completely unacceptable to 74% of women and 60% of men and either somewhat or completely unacceptable to 95% of women and men. Most (77%) women wanted severe punishment of men's short-term commercial sex and women's jealousy was equally elevated by their primary partner's episodes of commercial and non-commercial sex. Nevertheless, the prevalence of infidelity during the last 12 months was 4.5% (women's non-commercial sex), 11.0% (men's non-commercial), and 5.5% (men's commercial), with each percent matching or exceeding the median for other countries. In multivariate equations for non-commercial infidelity, men's infidelity was significantly more responsive to sexual dissatisfaction with his primary partner while women's was more responsive to deficits in love. In commercial sex, men were uninfluenced by primary partner deficits in love, sexual satisfaction or oral sex-pursuing, it would seem, simply a greater variety of sexual partners. In a "trading up" pattern, women partnered with low income men had elevated infidelity. The minority of women reporting early masturbation and premarital sex were just as likely as men with these backgrounds to have elevated infidelity. The Chinese patterns provide ample material for deliberations on gender similarities and differences in extra-relational sex.

Sex Ideologies in China: Examining Interprovince Differences

“…Although attitudes toward pre-marital sex were somewhat less traditional, as many as 71% of Chinese people disapproved of premarital sex. The clear evidence of considerable internal variation in sex ideologies across China also calls into question the generalization that a national "sexual liberation" is under way in China, which is largely based on behavioral observations (Parish et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2012). Nevertheless, the importance of studying sex ideologies does not lie in the accuracy with which we can infer behavior from ideology.…”

“…Indeed, according to a report on sexual health in China, the proportion of Chinese who have had premarital sex increased from 15% in 198915% in to 40% in 199415% in and 71% in 201215% in (Ruan, 2013. Analyzing data from China's 2006 Sexuality Survey, Zhang, Parish, Huang, and Pan (2012) reported that 4.5% of women and 16.5% of men have had extramarital sex. Estimates indicate that approximately 3% to 5% of the Chinese population are homosexual, and that around 11% of unmarried men and 5.8% of married men have had sex with another man (Neilands, Steward, & Choi, 2008).…”

“…Other scholars have argued that China's economic reform-its deindustrialization, its privatization, and the development of its service sector-has resulted in more liberal views of sex (Clifford, 2013). It is widely believed that modernization, Westernization, and deindustrialization have not only transformed China's sex ideologies over time but produced an even more conspicuous internal variation in sex ideologies across China's vast geographic span (Parish et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2012). Accordingly, scholars have found that people from more modernized, Westernized, and deindustrialized provinces hold less traditional attitudes toward patrilineality, filial piety, and conjugality (Cheung & Kwan, 2009;Therborn, 2004;Yan, 2009).…”

Marital Infi delity: The Experience of Men and Women

“…Studies have shown that infi delity can have negative effects on the relationship, and may be the most feared and devastating experience of a marriage (Pittman, 1994), which may lead to divorce (Zordan & Strey, 2011). A systematic review of the literature (Scheeren, 2016) suggested a prevalence of infi delity between 1.2% (Beaulieu-Pelletier, Philippe, Lecours, & Couture, 2011) and 89.4% (Zhang, Parish, Huang, & Pan, 2012). In Brazil, the study conducted by Goldenberg (2011), with 1,279 men and women from the urban middle class of Rio de Janeiro, showed that 60% of the men and 47% of the women had been unfaithful.…”

Sexual Behavior, Function and Satisfaction in Headache Associated with Sexual Activity: A Systematic Review of Literature

“…It is estimated to be 25.0% of monogamous relationship in United States [52] and 15.2% of Chinese migrant workers [53]. Generally, the frequency is higher in men than women in both the western [54] and eastern countries [55]. If so, our results may be challenged invalid as HSA patients may selectively report committing intercourse only with spouses or usual partners but not extradyadic ones to protect their dyadic relationship.…”