Presentation :

This communication uses data from two concurrent quantitative surveys designed to examine men's attitudes and practices in a context of reduced availability of female partners in China. This parallel data collection covered men resident in rural Southern Shaanxi province as well as men from the same places of origin in Xi'an, the main destination of rural migrants in Shaanxi province. While most inquiries about sexual behaviors in China focus on urban areas where the use of commercial sex services is often higher among married men who use it as complementary practice, we investigate the association between marital status and the use of sexual services in a rural context where reduced availability of sexual partners may lead to the adoption of compensatory sexual behaviors. We also draw comparisons by migration and marital status because the association between marital status and the use of sexual services in rural areas may be confounded by selective migration.