A National Study on Child Abuse and Neglect in Rural China: Does Gender Matter?

Does gender affect the risk of child abuse and neglect (CAN) in rural China? This study aims to answer this question through a national gender-balanced survey. An empirical investigation of 4943 children (M_age = 12.08, 48.7% male) in eight provinces was finished in December 2019. The descriptive statistics, a mean analysis, and a linear regression are used to discuss the data. Two important findings can be summarized as follows. First, the risk of CAN in rural China differs across genders. The prevalence and severity of the physical and emotional abuse are higher among boys than among girls, while girls are more likely to suffer emotional neglect. Second, the risk factors for CAN also differ across genders. Girls are more likely than boys to be affected deeply by factors such as the experience of maternal intimate partner violence (IPV), parental educational attainment, children’s age and academic performance, while boys are more associated with parental alcohol dependence than girls. The findings indicate that the prevalence of, severity of and risk factors for CAN differ significantly across genders, primarily because of gender inequality and the residual child welfare system.