BEIJING: Single and locked out of Beijing’s dating scene by the pandemic, Amy was encouraged by other women in online chatrooms to find a solution to her enforced abstinence — a sex toy.
But it is also a product of a wider cultural shift in attitudes towards sex by a younger and more open-minded demographic. But China’s divorce rate reached a record high of more than 3.1 million in the first nine months of 2019 —a sign of change in societal values. But, driven mainly by female and millennial consumers, the country’s nascent sex toy market is valued at over US$14.7 billion, according to Chinese research firm iiMedia.
“The people who bought during the pandemic were mainly first-time buyers,” said Noel, and for “70%” of them it will likely be a one-time purchase.China now produces 70% of global exports of sex toys, Daxue Consulting said in a March report.