Teenage Pregnancy in China

Land Acknowledgement

The author would like to acknowledge that the land on which she works, studies, and lives "is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) People" (Canadian Association of University Teachers 128).

Teenage Pregnancy Trends in China

Teenage pregnancy is rising in many areas of China. In many small and urban villages, girls as young as fourteen are engaged in sexual intercourse and unwanted pregnancies. Despite the alarming young age, teenage pregnancy and early motherhood is not an uncommon trend for the Chinese population. Many relationships and informal marriage ceremonies are practiced regularly. In the rural areas of China, children are found raising themselves while their parents earn money in the city. The lack of job opportunities and restrictions of a small village creates a tough barrier to provide financial security for a new family. As a result, parents are forced to leave for the city in hopes to find a stable income while leaving their child back in their hometown. The absence of parenting during childhood can significantly influence the child’s social behaviour and decision-making skills, especially around sexual education.

In the sections below, we will explore multiple layers that contribute to this growing trend and the reproductive culture of Chinese teenage girls. In addition, we will explore the consequences and impact of teenage pregnancy on the Chinese youth generation.

Dating and Romantic Culture in China

The Chinese culture often frown upon early dating, romantic relationships and pre-marital sexual intercourse. Teachers would judge and lecture young girls if they found out that they had a boyfriend. Many parents worry about their young daughters' sexual activity and fear that they will accidentally end up in an unwanted pregnancy.
Pre-marital Sex

Chinese people view the female sex and virginity in association with their pureness and value. Many young girls who engage in pre-marital sex or become teen moms become a disgrace and shamed by their families and relatives. Chinese men have also expressed that they prefer to marry a virgin woman over a female who had pre-marital sex.

Limited Playing Field

Contrary to this point, Chinese females face immense social pressure to get married prior to the age of 27 before they become "left-over women." Chinese woman face a dilemma with judgement for dating too young but also not being competitive enough in the market after their twenties. In the Chinese culture, the ultimate goal of dating and romantic relationships is the desire for a marriage and a family.

Leftover Men Exists Too

There is a lot of focus on leftover women in the Chinese population. However, men face similar problems in the Asian dating world. A male is highly valued in Chinese culture. The man is traditionally viewed as the head of the household and will carry on the blood line of the family. As a result, families in China often desire to have a son. This leads to a large imbalanced gender ratio between men and women in the country. As the number of males continue to dominate the country, it’s harder to find a female partner who is compatible with age and personality. Men in rural areas experience a greater challenge as their income and job status is generally lower. This becomes an unattractive trait for females who are looking for someone to raise her children and support her family.

Sex Education in China

We want to analyze and investigate the conversations and education around sexual intercourse, protection and sexually transmitted diseases in the country to understand teenage pregnancy trends. Topics around sex and transmitted diseases are private and sensitive conversations in China. There is this sense of secrecy in the culture that forbids the use of terms like virgin or sexuality. It is not common practice for parents or teachers to have conversations openly with their students and children around sex education. Zehui Dai, a Chinese woman who was raised in China discussed how she was completely unaware of HPV vaccination or how it's transmitted until she moved to America. Many young girls in China are not provided with the proper, if any, education on safe-sex and sexually transmitted diseases. Since there isn't a practice to talk about it with professionals, girls depend on brochures, peer experiences and radio programs. As a result, the severity of youth pregnancies or diseases are not communicated properly to the younger generation. Many rely on inaccurate information and engage in unsafe sexual activity that risk their chances of getting HIV or an unwanted pregnancy.

Marie Stopes China:

Marie Stopes International works across 37 countries to provide safe abortion services and to educate the young generation on contraception resources. Marie Stopes has a specific team working in China who target young adults, people in rural towns and sex workers. They offer services from contraception to HIV testing in hopes to build a safe environment for conversations around sex.

Medical Resources and Vaccination

Vaccination

STD vaccinations are not easily accessible resources in China. If a woman wanted HPV vaccination, she would have to travel all the way to Japan or Hong Kong.Since particular vaccinations require multiple appointments, the woman would need to travel out multiple times.However, many can not financially support themselves for these medical trips and end up risking exposure to STDs.

Contraceptives

Sex continues to be a taboo topic in China. As a result, the culture still shy away from conversations around contraception and sexual health. Up until 2014, there were restrictions on “advertising sex-related products such as condoms.” Abortion on the other hand was commonly seen on TV and in the media. Hospitals would advertise their abortion services through whimsical pictures and slogans like “Goodbye pain; welcome back, happiness!”

Abortion,Birth, and Marriage Laws

China's laws are strictly enforced around abortion, the two-child policy, and legal marriages. Pregnant teen girls deal with consequences of not abiding by these laws. Women who get pregnant before marriage fall under the "zero-child policy" category. Most teenage couples are not married and when the girl gets pregnant, the law does not consider the baby a legal child in the country. An un-wed birth can become legal if the parents get married within 60 days after the birth of their child. However, another important layer to this is that the legal marriage age in China is 22 for men and 20 for women. If girls as young as fourteen are getting pregnant, the legislation basically is giving them the option of only aborting the child. We do see these trends existing in the current abortion rates in China.

Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy

Unfinished Education - The female or couple has to drop out of school to take care of the child. Many teenage moms or parents do not get the opportunity to finish secondary school because they’re forced to enter the job industry to provide for their child. As a result, they work entry- level jobs to sustain the high-living costs.

Sexually Transmitted Disease - Risks of catching sexually transmitted diseases like STD, HPV, HIV from unprotected sex. Severe health consequences can interfere with a young person’s development and have life-long damages to the body. Especially within the rural areas of China, medical services and assistance may not be as easily accessible causing infections to be pro-longed without medical attention.

Premature baby - Early child birth can be dangerous for the mother and the baby. Preterm babies can suffer long-term consequences like mental retardation, learning difficulties, and underdeveloped brains.

The mother of the child can experience emotional and psychological instability. Raising a newborn is not an easy task. Raising a premature baby can have additional challenges such as more medical appointments and difficulty bonding with the baby.