Commercial sex among involuntary male bachelors: some evidence from an exploratory survey in rural China

Using data from a survey in rural China, this study analyzes commercial sex experiences and condom use behaviors among involuntary male bachelors in comparison to married men. Our findings indicate that the prevalence of commercial sex among unmarried men is significantly higher than that among married, and marital status being almost the only significant variable for predicting the prevalence of commercial sex. It also appears that, while the vast majority of sexual intercourses are still unprotected, condom use rate is even lower among unmarried men than among the married, and it is strongly associated with the knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Diseases’ (STDs), age, education and income. This means that in a context of male marriage squeeze, commercial sex is becoming one of the important ways for the involuntary bachelors to meet their sexual needs and they are obviously facing much higher risks of disease transmission during their sexual intercourses.