(ECNS) -- A new survey finds that almost 54 percent think people in their hometowns are less likely to view males as superior to females than they did in the past, China Youth Daily reported on Thursday.
Another 32.7 percent say things remain unchanged, while 6.2 percent see a worsened situation for females, said the survey jointly conducted by China Youth Daily and wenjuan.com, which canvassed 2,002 Chinese, 23.4 percent of whom came from the countryside.
Compared to cities, rural areas have seen greater improvements in the promotion of gender equality, but there is still a long way to go because a preference for boys over girls among rural people remains widespread.
As for the reasons why boys are still preferred, 61.7 percent of those surveyed attribute it to the mentality that men can carry on the family lineage, 39.1 percent to the belief that only sons can support aging parents, 36.1 percent to the fact that families without boys would be looked down on or even bullied by others, 33.1 percent to the belief that girls will move out of the house after marriage, and 32.9 percent to the high demand for men in everyday work.
