National Sex Ratios

National Sex Ratios

The male, female sex ratios around the world are composed of many different components. One of the major factors is the life expectancy of women verses men. Culture also plays a vital role in determining why the male, female ratio is irregular. As futuristic it may sound pollution is already affecting the sex ratios around the globe. Medical advances have also strongly influenced the ratio. These and more all affect the male, female sex ratio very differently.

Life expectancy is a small but very influential element in the sex ratios around the world. According to recent studies women live on average 5.2 years longer than men. This is for many reasons, one of which being that men do more physical labor and are putting more of a strain on their bodies than women. Another reason is because of the chancy, precarious, daredevil like actions that men display. The way men damage their bodies doing physical labor, and their behavioral patterns have shortened men's life expectancy; therefore, impacting the ratio of men to women.

Culture is by far, in my opinion, the most influential factor in the international sex ratios. Most of the few countries in the world whose male population bypasses their female population are in the Middle East or South Asia. In these areas of the world many families have a male child preference. This has been extremely prevalent in China ever since the one child law was enacted in 1979. Since girl children cost the family more money to raise "properly" families want their child to be a boy so that he will carry on the family name and also take care of his parents when they are in their old age.

Pollution has been a concern for many years around the world. Most people had thought that it wouldn't affect us for many years to come, but it is already having an impact on the world's people. Recent studies have shown that when exposed to increased amounts of pollution such as that from an incinerator can cause the number of female children to increase and the amount of male children to decline. Though on a global scale it does not make much of a difference at the moment it could potentially one day be a serious problem.

Though advances in medical technology all seem to have positive impacts. There are also some negative factors, one in particular directly affects the world's sex ratio. Due to medical advances we can determine the sex of the baby very early in the pregnancy, so if a couple wants their baby to be a certain sex and the baby is not their preferred they now have the option