Since amartya Sen published his pathbreaking research on the "missing women" of asia two decades ago across east, South, and even west asia, the masculinization of sex ratios has been proceeding at a pace unprecedented in recorded history. Christophe Guilmoto has documented male-heavy infant sex ratios that range from 112 boys per 100 girls in india, Pakistan, and vietnam, to 120-121 in China and tiny azerbaijan and armenia (the international average is 105; attan and Guilmoto 2007; Guilmoto 2009). Seeking to draw attention to this relatively neglected "revolution" of "rampant demographic masculinization," Guilmoto foresees a future in which asian sex ratios will continue to rise over the next few decades, spreading in epidemic fashion, before eventually falling below 110 before 2050 (Hvistendahl 2011, p. 5; if high sex ratios are part of the world's post-transition demographic future-they have already boosted the global sex ratio at birth from 105 to 107-how we understand them is critically important.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Susan Greenhalgh (2013) studied this question.