A survey shows that 50 percent of women heard dirty jokes while 40 percent received dirty short messages.

Verbal harassment, such as dirty jokes and short messages, offend many women in the country. The Beijing Times cited a survey that said more than 70 percent of women experienced sexual harassment, and 50 percent heard dirty jokes while 40 percent received dirty short messages. The paper did not specify who conducted the survey and how big the sample size was.

However, Wang Bingjie, an office worker in Shanghai, expressed doubts about the move. She told the Global Times that dirty jokes and short messages are not rare among colleagues. She felt her work unit would not impose an administrative penalty to another worker over a dirty joke.

Li Yinhe, a sociologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times that the regulation should be viewed as a symbol of respect for women's rights.

Li said that the sexual harassment was in fact a moral issue, and the most effective way to stop dirty jokes and short messages is to enhance moral education.