A sex education textbook issued to high schools in Jiangxi Province was accused of calling girls who have premarital sex cheap, triggering a public debate of gender inequality.
Xiao Chuwu (pseudonym), a high school teacher in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, took to Weibo on Wednesday to quote a passage from High School Sex Education that says girls are "degraded" by premarital sex.
"Premarital sex has a tremendous negative psychological and physical impact on girls," reads the book by 21st Century Publishing Group.
"Girls do not increase the love they receive from boys by sacrificing their bodies, but rather are seen as 'degraded' by their 'conquerors,'" the book continues. "As a result, sexual relations can cause women to lose love."
Xiao's post drew a lot of attention. "Sex education is supposed to protect teenagers, not intimidate or insult them," wrote a Sina Weibo user. "The press should name itself 'The 18th Century Publishing Group," said another.
The 21st Century Publishing Group said the wording is not insulting to women and pointed out that words like "degraded" appear in quotes. A total of 2,000 copies of the book have been issued to high school seniors in Jiangxi since 2004.
Local c0-publisher Jiangxi Higher Education Press claimed they stopped issuing the book in 2006. Both publishers vowed to "make appropriate edits," the Legal Mirror reported Friday.
