World Contraception Day took place around the globe this week to spread the word on safe sex and birth control. But a new survey suggests China may have some catching up to: only 12 percent of 1,000 Chinese women polled, aged 20-35, said that they fully understood how contraception works.
According to a report from french.peopledaily.com.cn, only 1.2 percent of young Chinese women take birth control pills, while in other Asian countries, Europe, and the US, the rates are 27 to 52 percent.
Abortion rates are extremely high in China, with more than 13 million women opting for the procedure each year, half of them for a second time. Also, the survey revealed that Chinese women "overrate the efficiency of withdrawal, periodic abstinence, and emergency contraceptive pills," stated China Daily. The survey was administered online by the National Population and Family Planning Commission.
In addition, Global Times reported that sex education in Chinese schools needs to be revamped, with Sun Yunxiao, an educator and deputy director of the China Youth Research Center, calling it the "most backward subject in China's education."
The Global Times report also points to cultural differences in regards to talking about sex, even with your partner - almost 57 percent of the respondents said they "would not be willing to discuss their sexual feelings with their partners."
