The Current Situation and Reasons for the Intimate Relationship
Choice of Chinese Female College Students from the Perspective
of Gender Trust Deficit: A Case Study of Female College
Students in Ningbo
Zeyu Yuan
College of Teacher Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China
Keywords: Gender Trust, Intimate Relationships, Female College Students, Patriarchy, China.
Abstract: This study focuses on the current situation and reasons for intimate relationship choices among contemporary
Chinese female college students and explores the mechanisms behind patriarchal theory from the perspective
of gender trust deficiency. This article uses interview methods to investigate female college students, and the
results show that female college students have rational cognition of trust in intimate relationships. There is a
common lack of gender trust among female college students towards men. Female college students are further
affected and deepened by the lack of gender trust in intimate relationships. Research has shown that male-
related negative behavior in past experiences is a key reason. The conflict between traditional Chinese male
social culture and modern concepts, as well as external environments such as media and social circles, have
also led to a lack of gender trust.
1 INTRODUCTION
Since ancient times, Chinese poetry has been passed
down, such as "Take your hand in mine and grow old
together with you.", reflecting people's longing for
beautiful love and marriage. With the rapid
development of contemporary society, culture,
economy, and technology, people's concepts of
marriage and love, especially among young people,
have undergone a rapid transformation from
traditional to modern (Zhou, 2022; Tan, 2023).
Research indicates that contemporary youth have
developed a more rational understanding of love,
marriage, and sexuality. While they can break free
from traditional concepts and pursue love or
materialism, they also place greater emphasis on their
post-marital roles and responsibilities (Pei et al.,
2023). However, corresponding to rational cognition
is the potential negative attitude and collective
anxiety of young people when facing marriage and
love issues (Zhou, 2022; Wang, 2015), which
inevitably leads to the decline of the marriage and
love cycle, the annual decrease in marriage rates, and
the increase in divorce rates in Chinese society to a
certain extent. This phenomenon has become an
important research topic that urgently needs to be
further explored.
As important reserve talents in society, college
students are also a major subject of the above-
mentioned social phenomena. Their intimate
relationship choices not only reflect the individual's
emotional and psychological development but also to
a certain extent, reflect the evolution of youth's views
on marriage and love, marriage and childbearing, and
gender role concepts (Li et al., 2022; Li & Yang,
2022). To further explore the underlying
mechanisms, combined with the recent research
hotspots of social media such as the Internet, "gender
opposition" (Wang et al., 2023; Liu, 2021). This study
attempts to conduct a literature review and empirical
research to deeply analyze the current situation of
intimate relationship choices among female college
students, explore the impact of gender trust deficiency,
and reveal the possible operational mechanisms and
other factors behind patriarchal theory.
492
Yuan, Z.
The Current Situation and Reasons for the Intimate Relationship Choice of Chinese Female College Students from the Perspective of Gender Trust Deficit: A Case Study of Female College
Students in Ningbo.
DOI: 10.5220/0014001000004912
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 492-499
ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5
Proceedings Copyright © 2025 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

2 THEORETICAL BASIS AND
RESEARCH DESIGN
2.1 Intimate Relationships and Lack of
Gender Trust
Regarding the definition of trust, this study focuses
on conceptualizing it as one party believing that the
other is benevolent and honest (Larzelere & Huston,
1980). In a broad sense, intimate relationships are not
limited to specific identity types but refer to mutual
dependence between both parties, often concentrated
in the family domain. Narrowly defined intimate
relationships refer to intimate relationships between
lovers or spouses, and this article focuses on the latter.
In the study of trust in intimate relationships, Rempel
et al. constructed a trust model that decomposes it into
three elements: predictability, dependency, and faith.
Among them, faith is the most important and direct
one, reflecting the partner's intrinsic motivation.
Reliability is equally important in intimate
relationships, indicating whether a partner is reliable
and trustworthy. Predictability focuses on the
expectation of behavior, which serves as an important
basis for dispositional attribution to influence
reliability and the development of faith (Rempel et
al., 1985).
The initial research on the lack of gender trust
originated from an exploration of the essential
understanding of marriage and uncertainty among
low-income single mothers (Edin, 2000). Subsequent
research has proposed the concept of gender distrust,
which conceptualizes negative evaluations of the
opposite sex and focuses on distrust of relationship
commitment and sexual exclusivity (Copp et al.,
2017). It is seen as a culture that spreads among
economically disadvantaged groups, with obvious
gender characteristics and is often used to explain the
reasons why single women reject marriage - women's
distrust of men often stems from their lack of
economic support, infidelity, use of violence,
irresponsibility towards children, alcohol or drug
abuse, deliberate destruction of women's efforts to
change their destiny, and other negative experiences
(Edin, 2000; Edin & Kefalas, 2005; Levine, 2013).
Studies have shown that other factors such as race,
intimacy status, individual relationship experience,
family relationships, and community environment
can also affect gender distrust (Copp et al., 2017;
Estacion & Cherlin, 2010). Nomaguchi et al. pointed
out that parental gender distrust and poor parent-child
relationships have a significant impact on female
adolescents. In contrast, factors that have a significant
impact on male adolescents include neighborhood
poverty rates and sexual experience (Nomaguchi et
al., 2011).
However, in domestic research in China, the lack
of gender trust and gender distrust do not overlap with
research in other countries. For example, Du's study
found that gender distrust among Chinese working
youth is more diverse and localized, and economic
disadvantage has not become the main factor
affecting their gender distrust. Research shows that in
the current modern Chinese society, trust mechanisms
have not yet been established, and traditional social
relationship trust is still needed as a guarantee. The
game between individual and family working youth
is manifested as a conflict between situational trust
and structural distrust, focusing on the non-linear
trajectory of modernization of intimate relationships
(Du, 2019). Li proposed that social media, especially
the Internet, is one of the main reasons for the absence
of gender trust in China. Gender distrust from the
personal perspective is affected by the media
environment, rising to the public domain problem,
and the dual oppression of patriarchy and capital
market, resulting in the absence of gender trust in
China (Li, 2022). Another two studies also laterally
confirmed this point (Wang et al., 2023; Liu, 2021).
2.2 Gender Trust Under Patriarchal
Theory
After conducting interviews with the interviewees
and obtaining preliminary results to further explore
and analyze the underlying mechanisms of the lack of
gender trust among female college students, the
patriarchal theory proposed by Walby is introduced
(Walby, 1990). This theory proposes to view
patriarchy as a social structure and practical system
of male domination, oppression, and exploitation of
women, manifested in six aspects - the production
mode of patriarchy, patriarchal relations in paid labor,
patriarchal relations in the state, male violence,
patriarchal relations related to sexuality, and
patriarchal relations in cultural institutions such as
religion, media, and education. These six aspects
support each other and together form the subordinate
status of women (Walby, 1990).
Specifically, in the production relations within the
family, women's labor is requisitioned by their
husbands or cohabitants; housewives belong to the
productive class, and husbands belong to the
exploitative class. The patriarchal relationship in paid
labor excludes women from better jobs and isolates
them in inferior jobs that are considered lacking in
skills. The state, like capitalists and racists, is
patriarchal. As a place of struggle rather than a large
The Current Situation and Reasons for the Intimate Relationship Choice of Chinese Female College Students from the Perspective of
Gender Trust Deficit: A Case Study of Female College Students in Ningbo
493

entity, the state exhibits systematic patriarchal bias in
its policies and actions and is biased toward
patriarchal interests. Male violence against women is
often systematically condoned and legalized, and
unless there are exceptions, the state is unwilling to
intervene. The patriarchal relationships in sexual
activities constitute the fifth structure, with the forced
heterosexual and sexual double standards being its
two main forms. The patriarchal relationships in
cultural institutions (such as religion, media, and
education) dictate women's performance in these
venues (Walby, 1990).
2.3 Research Methods
Based on the above issues and possible explanations,
this study aims to explore the intimate relationship
choices of contemporary female college students
from the perspective of gender trust deficiency in the
current context of changes and challenges in Chinese
youth's views on marriage and love. The study aims
to gain a deeper understanding of the specific
problems that female college students face in terms of
gender trust deficiency and to reveal the possible
operational mechanisms and other factors of
patriarchal theory behind it. Expected to assist with
subsequent related research and issues.
This study conducted semi-structured interviews
with eight female college students from Ningbo, both
online and offline. The respondents were all from
Zhejiang Province and were currently studying at a
university in Ningbo, aged 20-22 years old. There
were differences in their majors and related family
backgrounds. Zhejiang Province is located on the
southeast coast of China and is one of the most
economically developed provinces in China. Among
them, Ningbo City is the second city in Zhejiang
Province in terms of comprehensive strength, with a
developed economy and a high level of social
development.
The interview mainly focuses on the interviewee's
lack of gender trust and its performance in intimate
relationship selection and further investigates the
reasons for this gender distrust. Table 1 shows the
information of the respondents.
3 RESULTS ANALYSIS
3.1 Understanding Trust in Intimate
Relationships
3.1.1 Meaning and Importance of Trust
After sorting out the interview results, contemporary
female college students generally believe that trust in
intimate relationships is crucial and the long-term
foundation of intimate relationships. Most of the
respondents reflected their rational understanding of
this trust, that is, this trust is not static but will
dynamically change according to the actual situation.
"In my opinion, trust in intimate relationships is
still staged. At each stage of the development of
intimate relationships, trust requires a balance point.
For example, during the initial period of establishing
an intimate relationship and when discovering that the
partner has done something not good, it still needs to
be considered and guarded against, which should be
called 'distrust.'" (Female college student A)
As mentioned by A, in intimate relationships,
distrust towards the other person can reach a high
level when they exhibit negative behavior. For
example, in the early stages of intimate relationship
development, trust is often set at a balance point,
which is relatively fragile and untrustworthy, making
Table 1: Interviewee information form.
Nickname Age Gender Marital Status Love Experience Major Category
A 21 Female Unmarried Yes Sciences
B 22 Female Unmarried No Literature
C 21 Female Unmarried No Sciences
D 20 Female Unmarried Yes Pedagogy
E 20 Female Unmarried Yes Sciences
F 21 Female Unmarried No History
G 21 Female Unmarried No Literature
H 21 Female Unmarried Yes Pedagogy
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it more prone to distrust. At the same time, when the
other party engages in some negative behavior,
female college students will also develop a higher
level of distrust.
Female college student A's idea confirms previous
research well, reflecting that contemporary female
college students are not blindly trusting or extremely
emotional in intimate relationships but will
dynamically adjust their level of trust based on factors
such as relationship development and partner
behavior (Pei, 2023). For example, in the early stages
of establishing an intimate relationship, both parties
are still in the stage of mutual understanding. Female
college students have a fragile trust in each other and
have a strong sense of prevention. Trust requires more
time and experience to consolidate. When a partner
engages in obvious bad behavior, such as lying or
deception, female college students will shake their
trust in them. This reflects their rational
understanding of trust in intimate relationships.
3.1.2 Understanding of Trust Building
In response to the question of trust building,
interviews also showed that the trust concept of
female college students has shifted from a passive
mentality in traditional society to a more modern
direction, reflecting more confident and rational
characteristics.
"Try not to interfere with the other person's
private life, including entertainment, phone chat
records... occasionally express love." (Female college
student B)
This is female college student B's understanding
of the process of building trust in intimate
relationships. When faced with a partner during the
period of building trust in intimate relationships, B
did not choose to pry into the other person's privacy
or passively accept to establish trust, nor did she
quickly fully immerse herself in love and quickly
enter into trust with the other person. Instead, she
chose to give the other person a certain amount of
personal space and freedom and gradually establish
trust in a relatively independent and mutually
respectful way through the expression of love and
emotional warming up. This handling of trust reflects
the rational understanding of female college students.
In previous studies on patriarchy, it has been
found that women's rational cognition is deeply
influenced and limited by patriarchal societies.
Patriarchy is a social structure that constructs a
cultural system based on gender hierarchy and binary
opposition through a series of rules and values, where
men are seen as rational subjects and women are
marginalized and endowed with irrational
characteristics (Rius, 2008). However, in this study,
the respondents' more modern concept of trust
indicates a rational cognition that is different from
traditional Chinese women. This, to some extent,
indicates that contemporary Chinese women will
exhibit more rational characteristics in patriarchal
societies.
3.2 Female College Students' Gender
Trust Deficiency and Its Complex
Social Factors
The interview results show that almost all the
interviewees have a certain degree of gender trust
deficiency towards men, which is characterized by
directness and conforms to stereotypes. For example,
C mentioned examples in university, especially
regarding potential collaborations that may occur in
learning.
"Yes, most of the time I feel that men are not very
reliable and tend to be careless when it comes to
things, especially when it comes to work
cooperation." (Female college student C)
In the interview, when respondents such as C were
asked about their trust in men for the first time, most
of them expressed their distrust and concern about
men, but they were often limited to simple matters
and direct ideas and did not express the more serious
gender distrust and explain the reasons behind it.
"For example, when going out to ask for
directions, in situations where it is necessary to seek
help from strangers, I am more inclined to seek help
from women." (Female college student D)
For another example, in Female college student
D's answer, although she could not clearly explain her
thinking behind this behavioral tendency in the
follow-up questioning, it was obvious that her gender
trust deficiency in men could be reflected to some
extent.
Relevant research suggests that the interviewees'
inability to explain this general gender distrust may
be due to the combination of multiple factors behind
this distrust, which are complex and difficult to
conceptualize and accurately perceive and describe.
For example, a study by Hamedanian & Ghadermazi
suggests that urban women may feel exposed to
invisible and symbolic aggression, leading to fear of
men. This issue can be felt in reports of women being
persecuted, as well as in men's actions, language, and
demeanor, and is manifested in multiple countries and
societies (Hamedanian & Ghadermazi, 2022). The
vague description of Female college student D in the
follow-up interview also fits the above sense of
The Current Situation and Reasons for the Intimate Relationship Choice of Chinese Female College Students from the Perspective of
Gender Trust Deficit: A Case Study of Female College Students in Ningbo
495

exposure, that is, the invasion of multiple complex
factors in male society has led to D's behavioral
tendencies. That is to say, this gender distrust can be
explained from a social perspective - stemming from
the widespread suspicion and vigilance of the male
world, which can be seen in the relevant research on
Chinese cultural works (Zhao, 2011; Liu & Sun, 2023).
Regarding this widespread suspicion and
vigilance, Chang's viewpoint suggests that it is due to
the oppression behind patriarchal societies, such as
the patriarchal nature of the state in patriarchal
theory: society will exhibit a systematic patriarchal
bias in its policies and actions and lean towards
patriarchal interests; Meanwhile, male violence
against women is often systematically condoned and
legitimized (Walby, 1990; Chang, 2018).
In view of the conceptualization and abstraction
of this explanation, the next part will further analyze
the reasons for the absence of gender trust deficiency
among female college students from the perspective
of intimacy. It is worth noting that with the interview,
the degree of gender distrust and the severity of the
reasons behind it raised by most interviewees have
significantly increased.
3.3 Performance of Gender Trust
Deficiency in an Intimate
Relationship
3.3.1 Gender Trust Deficiency Aggravated
in an Intimate Relationship
Different from the shallow and direct gender trust
deficiency in the first inquiry mentioned earlier, as the
interview went on when the male group moved from
the role of ordinary friends or temporary collaborators
to intimate relationships, the results showed that
female college students' gender distrust was
significantly serious and deepened, and even they
were surprised by these changes.
Female college student E, who has had previous
romantic experiences, gave a positive answer to the
question, 'When you are in a relationship or
considering starting one, do you have some distrustful
concerns about the other person because, as
mentioned before, he belongs to the male gender
group?'. E mentioned that regarding the issue of
gender trust in intimate relationships, she would
worry about her partner's sense of responsibility,
adherence to promises, and loyalty to love due to the
male gender group. E believes that most men have
such problems. Among all the respondents, 75%
mentioned this concern and doubt, for example, C
also expressed similar concerns on this issue.
"Yes, I still have some concerns, such as worrying
that what this guy says may be fake (sweet words are
all fake), and the promises he makes may be fake."
(Female college student C)
As found in Du's study, young female migrant
workers exhibit a significant lack of confidence in
love and care when pursuing intimate relationships
and marriage (Du, 2019). The interview results show
that there is a general phenomenon of gender trust
deficiency in the choice of intimate relationships
between female college students and their partners.
3.3.2 The Possibility and Fear of Gender
Trust Deficiency Expansion
After referring to the gender distrust in intimate
relationships, some respondents expressed further
strong anxiety or fear about this gender trust
deficiency phenomenon. For example, A mentioned
the expansion and deepening of this gender trust
deficiency phenomenon in the interview.
"I cannot understand, to the point where I cannot
distinguish whether it is only a portion of the group
(those who are outwardly upright but morally corrupt,
good at disguising themselves), all men, or only a
small portion of all men who are normal." (Female
college student A)
Female college student A is confused by the
conflict between the perception that most men are
normal and the perception of a few men who appear
normal but are known to have moral corruption. She
fears that most men have a moral corruption side.
This shows that some female college students have
the possibility of further expansion of gender trust
deficiency when facing gender trust problems. They
have come across some or even a relatively large
number of examples of men disguising themselves
while being morally corrupt. This has led to their
distrust and fear when judging the moral behavior of
men in their intimate relationships.
3.4 Causes of Gender Trust Deficiency
in an Intimate Relationship
3.4.1 Experience and Witnessing are Key
Factors
Batić Očovaj & Kuruzović proposed that gender roles
play an important role in intimate relationships, with
women typically valuing honesty, trust, and
responsiveness in intimate relationships, while men
tend to maintain relationships through non personal
topics and shared activities (Batić & Kuruzović,
2020). To investigate the possible reasons behind this,
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Du pointed out in his research that among young
migrant workers seeking love, women often
accumulated gender distrust of men through negative
life experiences, which led to lower trust in men in
intimate relationships (Du, 2019). The same applies
to the relevant answers in the interview.
"Because in the environment where I grew up, I
have heard and seen too many stories about men
repeating the same, and different bad deeds in
intimate relationships." (Female college student A)
"I feel that when my friends around me end a
relationship, it's because the male side has bigger
problems, such as infidelity and material sacrifices.
The female side is more important than the male side,
but the male side takes it for granted, and a series of
things that shock people's values. " (Female college
student B)
"Perhaps it's a stereotype of male family members
from a young age, where women are more likely to
complete a lot of work. " (Female college student C)
"I have encountered many men who are stubborn
and extreme, or who do not consider whether their
words will have an impact and harm on others."
(Female college student E)
Lee believes that only a few people will encounter
this personal experience associated with gender
mistrust (Li, 2022). In this study, all respondents
mentioned that they have experienced or witnessed
examples of men's bad behavior that is not worthy of
trust. Compared to other possible reasons, the
experiences of oneself and others around oneself,
such as emotional experiences, personal stories, and
the experience of negative behaviors of elderly male
relatives, are most commonly mentioned by
respondents in interviews and discussed among all
respondents. It seems that the real experience of
themselves and others around them is the main reason
for the absence of gender trust in female college
students' intimate relationship choices.
As Walby pointed out, what respondents feel is
precisely caused by the patriarchal production model,
male violence in society, and the patriarchal relational
double standards in sexual activity. The social
structure of oppression and exploitation of women in
a patriarchal society, such as female college students
witnessing more work and less gain of women as
exploited and the inaction of men in patriarchal
production models (Walby, 1990). Through their
personal experiences, they have felt and confirmed
the behaviors of men in intimate relationships under
the patriarchal system, as well as the exploitation and
oppression of women by men. This inevitably causes
female college student's perception of their partners
in intimate relationships to be affected by gender trust
deficiency in similar aspects.
3.4.2 Double Standards of Sexuality
Related studies have pointed out that in traditional
Chinese culture, men visiting prostitutes is often seen
as a "normal" behavior, while female prostitution is
strongly condemned and is also reflected to some
extent in contemporary Chinese society (Sun, 2021;
Ruskola, 1994). The interview results show that
another reason for the gender trust deficiency of
female college students is their understanding of men
visiting prostitutes.
"Many people attribute various abnormal
behaviors of men (visit prostitutes) to uncontrollable
sexual desire, which in my opinion is nothing but
farting and poor embellishment" (Female college
student A)
In contemporary Chinese society, women's
cognition has changed, and they are no longer willing
to accept traditional interpretations of male unethical
behavior. The double standards of sex can no longer
constrain women's cognition and demands on each
other in intimate relationships. The interview results
show that when female college students are aware of
this phenomenon in the male group, they will further
doubt the reliability of men in intimate relationships,
which will lead to the aggravation of the gender trust
deficiency. Female college students express strong
criticism and resistance towards this absurd
phenomenon of male sexual tolerance.
Patriarchy systematically favors men and
oppresses women by associating specific roles and
behaviors with gender. For example, in Gesser-
Edelsburg & Elhadi's study on the Arab region, men
were allowed to watch pornography while women
were oppressed (Gesser-Edelsburg & Elhadi, 2018).
The tolerance of male sexuality under the patriarchal
theory also reveals the oppression of women; at the
same time, women themselves are instead bound by
sexual norms (Walby, 1990). Female college
students' cognitive awareness of their subjectivity and
their critical perception of the tolerance of male
sexuality within the patriarchal system demonstrate
the influence of sexuality and patriarchy from the
perspective of gender trust deficiency. This reflects
their critique and resistance towards the irrational
systems within a patriarchal society.
3.4.3 Multiple Influences of External
Environment, Media, and Social
Circles
The interview results show that another important
reason for the gender trust deficiency in intimate
The Current Situation and Reasons for the Intimate Relationship Choice of Chinese Female College Students from the Perspective of
Gender Trust Deficit: A Case Study of Female College Students in Ningbo
497

relationships is the impact of the external
environment, mainly the media and friends around.
When asked about other possible causes of gender
trust deficiency, most interviewees mentioned the
influence of factors such as the Internet and friends
around them.
"For example, some content on (Internet) social
media promotes extreme feminism, attacking men.
Also, I'm fond of reading novels, and there are often
plots of men cheating and betraying in them.
Moreover, news about men committing domestic
violence frequently emerges these days... My friends
around me think that men in real life are not very
reliable." (Female college student E)
From the interviews, it was learned that these
female college students are not blind in their
perception of such information and maintain a
rational understanding. However, the influence of the
external environment still plays a certain role as an
important factor. The interviewees mentioned that,
especially after experiencing similar experiences
around them, the gender trust deficiency in the public
domain of this external environment would break the
rational understanding, which will seriously deepen
the gender distrust of female college students. In
addition, a study shows that the information overload
of online media will lead to the reduction of people's
judgment ability and further strengthen gender
opposition that is, the joint influence of multiple
external environments may also aggravate the gender
trust deficiency of female college students (Zhang,
2023).
4 CONCLUSION
Through semi-structured interviews with
contemporary Chinese female college students, this
study deeply explores the current situation and
reasons for female college students' intimate
relationship selection based on the perspective of
gender trust deficiency and draws the following
conclusions:
Female college students generally believe that
trust is crucial in intimate relationships and have a
relatively rational understanding of it. Most female
college students in the social scene reflect a certain
degree of internal fear and distrust of men. This
distrust can be derived from the widespread suspicion
and vigilance of the male world in social culture,
reflecting the characteristics of gender trust
deficiency. When considering or in an intimate
relationship, female college students' awareness of
the gender trust deficiency is deepened and serious,
for example, they worry that male partners become
dishonest and immoral. In addition, female college
students are worried that it is difficult to distinguish
between normal and abnormal men when facing the
male group, which even leads to the expansion of
gender trust deficiency.
The various negative behaviors of men in intimate
relationships, such as infidelity, whoring, alcoholism,
domestic violence, and other related behavior
changes encountered by men in the growing
environment, make female college students increase
their negative cognition of men and gender distrust,
thus reducing their trust in male partners in intimate
relationships; The experience of oneself and others
around you, such as emotional experience, stories,
and the experience of negative behaviors of elderly
male relatives, are the key factors for the formation of
gender trust deficiency. In addition, the tolerance of
traditional Chinese male social culture towards male
prostitution behavior conflicts with contemporary
women's pursuit of loyalty and honesty in intimate
relationships. When female college students realize
the existence of unethical behaviors such as male
prostitution, it will exacerbate their distrust of the
male group. The external environment, dominated by
the media and friends around, also promotes the
phenomenon of gender trust deficiency. Although
most female college students can maintain a rational
understanding, the occurrence of similar events
around them reinforces their distrust of the male
group. At the same time, when there are too many
external environmental factors, the reduction of
judgment ability caused by information overload
further aggravates the problem of gender trust
deficiency.
The gender trust deficiency essentially reflects the
internal criticism and behavioral tendency of
contemporary Chinese female college students
toward the patriarchal society. Under the patriarchal
theory, female college students generally doubt and
distrust the male society in the face of patriarchal
production mode, patriarchal relations in the state,
male violence, sexual patriarchal relations, and
patriarchal relations in cultural institutions.
Therefore, there is a gender trust deficiency in female
college students, and it affects the choice of intimate
relations. They feel the manifestations of patriarchy
in society and men, as well as their common
exploitation and oppression of women, through their
specific experiences, social interactions, and external
environment. Through the awakening of their subject
consciousness and resistance to patriarchal discipline,
female college students, without being exactly aware
of the internal causes, have criticized and resisted the
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patriarchal system in form. Behind the gender trust
deficiency in the choice of intimate relationships,
female college students reveal their separation from
and criticism of patriarchy in the patriarchal society,
reflecting the awakening of independent
consciousness and new ideas.
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The Current Situation and Reasons for the Intimate Relationship Choice of Chinese Female College Students from the Perspective of
Gender Trust Deficit: A Case Study of Female College Students in Ningbo
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