3 ms·

There's no historic surplus of men. It's entirely created by selective abortions.

by lzecon 11y ago

kristopolous 11y ago
Can you expand on this?
- eru 11y ago
  See http://www.economist.com/node/15606229 http://www.economist.com/node/15606229
- dalke 11y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_women_of_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_women_of_China : "Son preference is traditional in Chinese Confucian patriarchal culture" ... "China implemented its one-child policy from 1979 onwards" ... "Given strict family-size limitations and a preference for sons, girls have become unwanted in China because they are considered as depriving the parents of the possibility of having a son" ... "About 37–45% of China's missing females may have been missing at birth [due to Sex-selective abortion]", and other factors include infanticide, poor nutrition leading to poor health conditions, and under-registration.
jacalata 11y ago
No, historically a surplus of men was created by running a polygamous hierarchical society where the richest x men get 100% of the women and the remaining men are now surplus (although some amount of them can be absorbed as low status labor in risky occupations)
- usrusr 11y ago
  Historically, even true monogamy (that is, monogamy not only on paper) would concentrate women on the upper end of the wealth/power scale, due to death by childbirth. Most men would either have a sequence of wives, or none at all. Sufficiently well-organized places to not have robbery bands internally or raiding parties externally would, in absence of wars, often be big exporters of mercenaries.
erroneousfunk 11y ago
Medical abortions are expensive, and home abortions are dangerous. It's much safer to carry the female infant to term, and kill her after birth, or abandon/neglect her and let nature take its course. Female infanticide has a long history in China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_infanticide_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_infanticide_in_China The problem has been exacerbated in recent years because of limitations on how many children couples could have, but a lack of financial resources could also place pressures on people to have fewer children, and make as many boys as possible. But this is certainly not "just" a modern problem created by modern abortion technology.

There's no historic surplus of men. It's entirely created by selective abortions.

by lzecon 11y ago

There's no historic surplus of men. It's entirely created by selective abortions.

kristopolous 11y ago

Can you expand on this?

eru 11y ago
See http://www.economist.com/node/15606229 http://www.economist.com/node/15606229
dalke 11y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_women_of_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_women_of_China : "Son preference is traditional in Chinese Confucian patriarchal culture" ... "China implemented its one-child policy from 1979 onwards" ... "Given strict family-size limitations and a preference for sons, girls have become unwanted in China because they are considered as depriving the parents of the possibility of having a son" ... "About 37–45% of China's missing females may have been missing at birth [due to Sex-selective abortion]", and other factors include infanticide, poor nutrition leading to poor health conditions, and under-registration.

jacalata 11y ago

No, historically a surplus of men was created by running a polygamous hierarchical society where the richest x men get 100% of the women and the remaining men are now surplus (although some amount of them can be absorbed as low status labor in risky occupations)

usrusr 11y ago
Historically, even true monogamy (that is, monogamy not only on paper) would concentrate women on the upper end of the wealth/power scale, due to death by childbirth. Most men would either have a sequence of wives, or none at all. Sufficiently well-organized places to not have robbery bands internally or raiding parties externally would, in absence of wars, often be big exporters of mercenaries.

erroneousfunk 11y ago

Medical abortions are expensive, and home abortions are dangerous. It's much safer to carry the female infant to term, and kill her after birth, or abandon/neglect her and let nature take its course. Female infanticide has a long history in China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_infanticide_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_infanticide_in_China The problem has been exacerbated in recent years because of limitations on how many children couples could have, but a lack of financial resources could also place pressures on people to have fewer children, and make as many boys as possible. But this is certainly not "just" a modern problem created by modern abortion technology.