Diamond-Smith, Nadia, and Kara Rudolph, “The Association between Uneven Sex Ratios and Violence: Evidence from 6 Asian Countries,” PLOS One 13, no.6 (June 2018), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0197516

URL: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0197516

Abstract

It has been hypothesized that uneven sex ratios in the population could lead to increased violence. The objective of this analysis is to explore the relationship between uneven sex ratios in the population and violence. This analysis uses data collected from men in six Asian countries about their experiences and perpetration of violence. We combine this with region- and age specific sex ratios calculated from Census data to explore the relationship between sex ratios and violence using multilevel models. We find that men from region-age brackets with higher ratios of men to women are significantly more likely to report ever having raped a woman, having perpetrated intimate partner violence, or having used a weapon. We find no evidence for an association between sex ratios and reports of ever having raped a man.

This study found a link between gender-based violence due to son preference and the prevalence of sex-selective abortion. The authors conclude, “If sex ratios become more imbalanced in the years to come due to son preference and sex selective abortion, discrimination against girls and women throughout their lives, or even potentially other factors such as migration, then it is possible that we will see increases in violence and unrest.” With an expected 72 million men in China and India alone who will remain single in coming decades, violence against women may escalate.