Sexual rights and Reproductive Health in China: Family Planning Policies and impact on women.

This thesis examines the intricate interplay between sexual rights, reproductive health, and state policy in China, with a specific focus on the historical and contemporary effects of family planning policies on women. From the introduction of the One-Child Policy in 1979 to the present, with the current Three-Child Policy, this study examines how reproductive governance has shaped women's bodily autonomy and socioeconomic opportunities. Based on a combination of policy analysis and existing literature, this research critically assesses the gendered consequences of state interventions in reproduction and sexual freedom. It investigates issues such as forced abortions, sterilisations, lack of informed consent, and limited access to sexual education and reproductive health services, especially for rural and minority women. Furthermore, the thesis considers the broader implications of these policies on sexual rights, highlighting the tension between collective demographic goals and individual freedoms. To investigate this area, social media, as a cultural medium, is used as a tool to examine women's perceptions of feminism and the particular set of rights considered in this study. Recent policy shifts are also analysed to determine whether they signify genuine progress in reproductive rights or a continuation of state control under new demographic pressures and challenges coming from the new globalised world. By situating China's reproductive policies within international human rights frameworks, this thesis aims to contribute to global conversations on reproductive justice, stressing the urgency of the topic and the need for immediate action. It calls for more inclusive, rights-based approaches to sexual and reproductive rights that centre women's voices, needs, and autonomy not only in China but around the whole globe.