Did you know that society’s where men are more unable to marry, whether because polygamy or social forces against female survival, have greater rates of violence? You really don’t want a couple of nations with nuclear arms sitting right next to each other where there are massive numbers of men who cannot get mates, itching to go beat someone up.

What do you know? — we do!

In China, traditional biases against women could end up making it impossible for many men ever to find wives. Because of China’s strict policy limiting family size to one child, many parents abort female fetuses, with the result that there are now 117 boys born in China for every 100 girls. By 2020, China could have between 30 million and 60 million men who cannot find wives.

[Coontz, Stephanie. 2005. Marriage: A History. pp. 3-4]

By contrast, estimates for the United States at the same time (c. 2000) were 105 males per 100 females. The European Union sits at 106/100, and South Africa is at 101/100.

Interesting, India has a similar problem with having too many boys. It seems that there parents have also been aborting females. The national average is 108 boys to girls, a number that is rising. But in some districts, the ratio is as high as 125 boy births to 100 girl births!

The article details that this is not a good thing, even though some women may see it as giving them a better bargaining position:

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