Persistent effect of sex ratios on relationship quality and life satisfaction

Grosjean, Pauline; Brooks, Robert

doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0315

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, these 2 mechanisms diverge in their predictions for male SWB; the bargaining power mechanism predicts male SWB would decline in male-biased sex ratios, whereas the marriage mechanism predicts it would increase. This is partially supported by Grosjean and Brooks (2017) though their effect was driven by ancestral, rather than modern sex ratios. If both a bargaining power and a marriage mechanism are at work they may cancel out, having no net effect on male SWB.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Moreover, they did not account for the fact that regions' sex ratios are not independent of each other, an issue known as Galton's problem (Pollet et al, 2014). Lastly, Grosjean and Brooks (2017) found that some areas of Australia in the 1700s had strongly male-biased populations due to an influx of convicts from the British empire, which they showed had a lasting impact on the culture of these regions. Couples living in regions that were more malebiased several hundred years ago were happier today as a result.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Male-biased sex ratios may also decrease sex crimes though this may not be true in all cultures (Bose et al, 2013). Grosjean and Brooks (2017) argued that areas of Australia that were historically more male-biased developed cultures of stronger gender roles, with females experiencing more discrimination and participating less in the workforce, while enjoying more leisure time (an argument developed further in Grosjean & Khattar, 2019). They argue that this culture persists, and explains modern Australian couples' greater SWB and life satisfaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The adult sex ratio of European regions predicts female, but not male, subjective well-being

Richardson

2021

Curr Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, researc in subjective well-being has found several ecological factors that may underpin societal differences in happiness. The adult sex ratio, the number of males relative to females in an environment, influences many behaviours in both humans and non-human animals. However, the possible influence of the sex ratio on subjective well-being has received little attention. I investigated the relationship between the adult sex ratio and subjective well-being in over 29,000 respondents from 133 regions of Europe. I find that women report lower subjective well-being in areas with more female-biased sex ratios, but males’ well-being was unaffected. I did not find that the sex ratio influences the sex specific probability of marriage, or marriage rates overall. I also find that increased population density is associated with lower well-being. Drawing from sociological and evolutionary theories, I suggest that results may be due to females’ decreased bargaining power in the dating market.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The adult sex ratio of European regions predicts female, but not male, subjective well-being

Richardson

2021

Curr Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An example where most individuals’ documented behavior does not follow their reported preference is cases where stated fertility preference systematically exceeds actual family size ( Cypriot et al 2010 ). Another example from Grosjean and Brooks (2017) indicates that historical regional differences in sex ratios still appear to influence attitudes today even generations after the imbalance in sex ratios had disappeared.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental investment in Tibetan populations does not reflect stated cultural norms

Du¹,

Mace

2017

Behavioral Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The evolutionary processes that generate cultural group norms and individual behavior may differ. We found that stated gender preference is based on the social norm of son preference, whilst real-life biases in parental investment were in favor of daughters. The recent history of the region includes dramatic government policy changes that influenced the behavioral ecology of the system by changing access to resources and inheritance rules. We discuss how male preferences may differ from female preferences; and we discuss how social norms and maternal behavior may be generated by different evolutionary processes.

show abstract

“…The very male-biased ASRs in this area of China, all well in excess of 0.6, are among the highest in the world today, and comparable to those seen in early settler populations [ 39 ]. Clearly, the permanent out-migration of women contributes hugely to an already distorted sex ratio caused largely by prenatal sex-selective abortion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High sex ratios in rural China: declining well-being with age in never-married men

Zhou

Hesketh

2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In parts of rural China male-biased sex ratios at birth, combined with out-migration of women, have led to highly male-biased adult sex ratios, resulting in large numbers of men being unable to marry, in a culture where marriage and reproduction are an expectation. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that older unmarried men are more predisposed to depression, low self-esteem and aggression than both those who are married, and those who are younger and unmarried. Self-completion questionnaires were administered among men aged 20–40 in 48 villages in rural Guizhou province, southwestern China. Tools used included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and the Bryant-Smith Aggression Questionnaire. Regression models assessed psychological wellbeing while adjusting for socio-demographic variables. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 957 never-married men, 535 married men aged 30–40, 394 partnered men and 382 unpartnered men aged 20–29. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables, never-married men were more predisposed to depression (p < 0.05), aggression (p < 0.01), low self-esteem (p < 0.05) and suicidal tendencies (p < 0.001). All the psychological measures deteriorated with age in never-married men. In contrast, married men remained stable on these dimensions with age. Never-married men are a psychologically highly vulnerable group in a society where marriage is an expectation. Since the highest birth sex–ratio cohorts have not yet reached reproductive age, the social tragedy of these men will last for at least another generation.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies’.

show abstract

Persistent effect of sex ratios on relationship quality and life satisfaction

Abstract: One contribution of 16 to a theme issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive strategies: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'.

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

The adult sex ratio of European regions predicts female, but not male, subjective well-being

The adult sex ratio of European regions predicts female, but not male, subjective well-being

Parental investment in Tibetan populations does not reflect stated cultural norms

High sex ratios in rural China: declining well-being with age in never-married men

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About