Nearly 90 percent of female postgraduates at an east China university said premarital sex is acceptable, according to a recent survey on the campus.

The survey was carried out by the students' union of Xiamen University in east China's Fujian Province and covered 312 female postgraduates, all of whom are not married.

Contrary to the widespread belief that well-educated women are arrogant and aloof, the survey found 90 percent of the respondents don't subscribe to the conventions and are taking virginity less seriously.

About 58 percent of the women surveyed said it is natural for a couple that is really in love to have sex -- whether they are married or not.

Seventeen percent said they approve of premarital sex simply because the practice is popular. Almost 13 percent said they believe that premarital sex is just like a "trial marriage" and will enrich their life experience and make single women more mature.

Such public acceptance of former taboos reflects a broader growing tolerance for different thinking and behaviors in China, said a social science professor with Xiamen University.

This, however, does not mean the well-educated girls are taking sex life too easily. The same survey also revealed that the majority of the respondents are still careful in choosing partners.     

Most of the postgraduate girls surveyed said good morals is the most important quality in a man, followed by affection, personality, health and competence. Traditional yardsticks such as education, income level and appearance are less important to these young graduates, according to the survey.

According to the same survey, nearly 90 percent of the postgraduate women are under stress, partly from schoolwork and partly from their quest for love. Many are under economic pressure, too, and are often busy with part-time jobs to make ends meet.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2004)