Sexuality and Marriage of Women with Intellectual Disability in Male-Squeezed Rural China

Social attitudes towards sexual activity of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are historically negative, though they
are now improving. However, marriage and procreation are distinctly common for women with ID in rural China. Based on ethnographic
research in a village in North China, this article explores the social aspects of sexuality and marriage for women with ID
through three cases. The socioeconomic context of rural society makes marriage for women with ID possible primarily because
of their female body and biological attributes of reproduction. Being socially constructed as the embodiment of reproduction,
women with ID lose their autonomy and face multiple risks in their experience of sexuality and marriage. Starting from the
social constructionist view on intellectual disability, this article also highlights the importance of integrating social
aspects in further research on sexuality, marriage and other issues around people with ID.