Sex education in China is almost nonexistent. Many schools in China don’t even have a sex education program. Instead, students are typically taught only the basic anatomical differences between males and females.

This lack of education is dangerous in light of the recent sexual revolution in China. According to China Daily, more than 70% of Chinese young people have sex before marriage. Similarly, China has a rate of 13 million abortions annually, according to a 2013 study. Most of the women receiving abortions are single women between the ages of 20 and 29.

“Many young people don’t use contraception at all and that is reflected in high abortion rates for youth,” says Joan Kaufman, a Distinguished Scientist at the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy at Brandeis University.

Research from Fudan University similarly concluded that “there is a large unmet need for reproductive health services for women prior to marriage in China.” For example, 68% of Chinese women were confused about the difference between oral contraceptives and the morning-after pill, according to the China World Contraception Day Organization.

This lack of education makes women vulnerable to abuse, unwanted pregnancy and STIs, particularly HIV. For example, sexual transmission now accounts for 91% of all HIV infections.

HIV is linked to poverty in that it prevents patients from being able to work and greatly increases the entire family’s medical expenditures. Public information and education on prevention – especially targeted to high-risk groups such as young people – will be instrumental in reducing the spread of this epidemic.

Unwanted pregnancies are also connected to poverty. According to Luis-Felipe López- Calva, the World Bank Lead Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, “Poverty and lack of opportunity are directly associated with teenage pregnancy and early motherhood, which can become impediments to women wanting to take full advantage of development opportunities.”

Although sex education in China is still a new concept, the Chinese government is making an effort to increase AIDS awareness and promote sexual health. Similarly, Chinese Internet users have begun posting videos that teach crucial sex facts in one-minute clips.

Improving sex education in China will be instrumental in reducing poverty. Not only will it reduce HIV transmission and unwanted pregnancies, it will also ensure that young people, particularly women, have full access to economic and further educational opportunities.

– Liliana Rehorn

Photo: Flickr