To Report or Not Report? : Teenage Girls’ Tolerance of and Tendency to Report Sexual Harassment By Siying Li
- Siying Li
- Nov 26, 2025
- 1 min read
The issue of sexual harassment, particularly within Chinese culture, is exacerbated by cultural taboos and patriarchal social constructs that limit the discussion of sex. 68% of sexual harassment victims do not report their case due to their fear of retribution, both from their perpetrator and from the victim-blaming and slut-shaming tendencies of society (Mansour, et. al., 2021). This study aims to explore the effect of sexual shame– a product of anti-sex ideologies in China– on people’s tendencies to report sexual harassment and their tolerance of it. 11 Chinese girls between the ages of 14 and 19 were interviewed, and three key themes were identified: 1). Differing perceptions in defining sexual harassment, 2). The fear of “slut shaming”, and 3). The biological framing of sexual topics. These exploratory findings reflect the inadequacy of China’s sex education, a temporal lag between girls’ cognitive awakening and behavioral responses, and sexual repression.
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