Textbook claims scantily-clad women sexually harass men

A Chinese high school safety education textbook claims women who wear “revealing” clothes sexually harass men, sparking controversy online recently.

“Women wearing revealing clothes in public is the main cause of sexual harassment to men,” according to Public Security Education for High School Students, a textbook recently released by China’s Heilongjiang Education Press in Northeast China, The Beijing News reported on Wednesday.

“Talking in an open way or suggestive poses could stimulate men’s feelings, and make them think of sex,” the textbook warned.

There were mixed feelings online. Some supported the idea, while others criticized men for using it to justify their sexual desires.

“The textbook is supposed to help students protect themselves,” an editorial from The Beijing News said. “However, the loose definition of sexual harassment in the book would not only have a negative impact on students’ sense of morality, but also violates women’s right to wear what they want,” the editorial added.

“Sexual harassment should not be defined in such a simple terms as it involves several factors, such as context and people’s intentions,” Peng Xiaohui, a sexology professor at Wuhan’s Central China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Peng said that the textbook’s author is unfamiliar with sex education and merely wants to express his views.

Whatever women wear, as long as they do not disturb public order, they should not be accused, the Beijing Times reported. There is no data or theory that suggests women’s attire and words have a direct connection to harassment.