Download pdf
Subculture of Youth: Sadomasochism and Gender Roles
- 1 Chung-Ang University
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
As world openness expands and science and technology advance unprecedentedly, Chinese people's perception of sexual behavior has shifted towards a more open and inclusive manner. No longer limited to the reproductive function, their perception highlights the pursuit of harmony and pleasure in the connection between love and sexual behavior. In the current social and cultural environment, sadomasochism (SM) with unconventional sexual practices is gradually being recognized by the younger generation today. In this study, the attitudes and perceptions of today's youth on SM are discussed, and the role and impacts of gender roles on SM behavior are analyzed. Based on traditional recognition of gender roles in social structure as well as sexual attitudes in Confucianism, this paper explores how these traditional perceptions shape young people's perceptions and behaviors toward SM. Online interviews were conducted via SM platforms, together with offline interviews, to collect the views of youth around the age of 20. It is found that young people's perceptions and preference for SM behavior are mainly attributed to the novel, unique, and thrilling experiences that it offers. Delving deeper, it is found that although SM behavior subverts traditional sexual norms to a certain extent, gender roles remain prevalent with men more likely to assume dominant roles and women favoring submissive roles.
Keywords
Traditional gender views, SM, gender roles, contemporary youth, sexual interest
[1]. Yang, J.H. (2017) The Continuity and Changes in Gender Perceptions in China over the Past 20 Years. Shandong Social Sciences, 11, 12.
[2]. Yan, C.Y., He, H. (2022) Returning to Tradition or Shifting to Modernity: The Changes in Chinese Gender Role Concepts from the Perspectives of Age, Period, and Cohort. Lanzhou Xuekan, 344(05), 79-91.
[3]. Gu, H. (2014) The Return of Gender Perceptions under the Interwoven Influence of the State, Market, Society, and Family. Social Science Journal, 212(03), 33-40.
[4]. Ge, X.P. (2011) A Study on the Sexual Psychology of Traditional Chinese Women. Doctoral Thesis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.
[5]. Li, C.J. (1995) The Trend of Sex-Ethics Culture in China. Chinese Medical Ethics, 8(1), 38-40.
[6]. Wang, S.Y. (2007) Reflection of Traditional Chinese Gender Views in Language and Culture. Science and Technology Innovation Herald, 48(12), 112-113.
[7]. Simula, B.L. (2019) Pleasure, Power, and Pain: A Review of the Literature on the Experiences of BDSM Participants. Sociol. Compass, 13(3).
[8]. Kao, Y. (2013) The Rise of BDSM (Sub)Culture and Its (Dis)Contents: A Literature Review. Sexuality Research in China, 34(2), 160-180.
[9]. Simula, B.L., Sumerau, J. (2019) The Use of Gender in the Interpretation of BDSM.
[10]. Li, Y.H. (2009) The Subculture of Sadomasochism. Hohhot: Inner Mongolia University Press.
Cite this article
Wang,S. (2024). Subculture of Youth: Sadomasochism and Gender Roles. Advances in Social Behavior Research,11,62-66.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title:
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).