Relating Gender to Sex: Gendered Attitudes, Sexual Double Standard, Sexual Intentions and Behaviors in two Chinese Adolescent Samples

ABSTRACT

Adolescence is a critical life stage when individuals further consolidate their gender role concepts, develop sexual beliefs, and likely begin to experiment with sexual behaviors. While there have been numerous studies on adolescents’ gender role attitudes, sexual beliefs, and sexual behaviors, the bulk of this research has been based on Western samples. The current study aimed to expand our knowledge of adolescents’ gender and sexuality by examining gender role attitudes, sexual beliefs, and sexual behaviors in an urban sample (n = 613) and a rural sample (n = 408) from China. Adolescent boys reported stronger identification with the negative male role, less sexual guilt, and stronger sexual intention than their female counterparts. Compared to the urban sample, adolescents in the rural sample were more likely to endorse both negative and positive male roles, hold the sexual double standard, and experience sexual guilt. Regression analyses yielded significant interaction effects between sex and negative male role on sexual guilt and sexual intention, suggesting that the negative male role was differentially associated with sexual guilt and sexual intention in boys versus in girls. Moreover, the negative male role was the only significant predictor of sexual behavior. Cultural implications of these findings were discussed.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by funding from “Project of Young Innovative Talents” provided by the foundation of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province of China [Grant No.2017WQNCX127]; Research Foundation of Guangzhou Medical University [Grant No.2016C07]; Innovation academic team project of Guangzhou educational system [Grant No.1201610032] awarded to the first author.