IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/popdev/v49y2023i3p681-706.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Migration and Skewed Subnational Sex Ratios among Young Adults

Author

Listed:
  • Michał Gulczyński

Abstract

Skewed sex ratios have been found to increase crime and spread of diseases, as well as influence fertility decisions, gender roles, and economic development. I document the extent to which international and internal migration shape national and subnational sex ratios among young adults (SRYA). For this purpose, I analyze the data from the United Nations’ Urban and Rural Population by Age and Sex and World Population Prospects, focusing on the cohort born between 1975 and 1985 in 200 countries. I find that, while 33 countries have significantly skewed country‐level sex ratios, as many as 107 of the 200 investigated countries have either rural or urban skewed SRYA in 2010. To identify the sources of sex ratio imbalances, I decompose country‐level sex ratios into three factors: sex ratio at birth, relative probability of survival, and sex‐selective migration. I show that without sex‐selective international migration, country‐level SRYA would be balanced in almost all countries of the world. In the third part of the study, I use Eurostat data for European subnational regions. I find a strong log‐linear relationship between sex ratios and population density, that is, relatively more women among young adults as population density increases. Moreover, I show that skewed SRYA can be mainly attributable to sex‐selective migration, rather than to imbalanced sex ratios at birth and differential mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Michał Gulczyński, 2023. "Migration and Skewed Subnational Sex Ratios among Young Adults," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 49(3), pages 681-706, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:49:y:2023:i:3:p:681-706
    DOI: 10.1111/padr.12577
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12577
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/padr.12577?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Bongaarts, 2013. "The Implementation of Preferences for Male Offspring," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 39(2), pages 185-208, June.
    2. La Mattina, Giulia, 2017. "Civil conflict, domestic violence and intra-household bargaining in post-genocide Rwanda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 168-198.
    3. Ruyssen, Ilse & Salomone, Sara, 2018. "Female migration: A way out of discrimination?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 224-241.
    4. Shang-Jin Wei & Xiaobo Zhang, 2011. "The Competitive Saving Motive: Evidence from Rising Sex Ratios and Savings Rates in China," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 119(3), pages 511-564.
    5. Kesternich, Iris & Siflinger, Bettina & Smith, James P. & Steckenleiter, Carina, 2020. "Unbalanced sex ratios in Germany caused by World War II and their effect on fertility: A life cycle perspective," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    6. Gary S. Becker, 1981. "A Treatise on the Family," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck81-1.
    7. Ridhi Kashyap, 2019. "Is prenatal sex selection associated with lower female child mortality?," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 73(1), pages 57-78, January.
    8. Christophe Z. Guilmoto & Fengqing Chao & Purushottam M. Kulkarni, 2020. "On the estimation of female births missing due to prenatal sex selection," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 74(2), pages 283-289, June.
    9. Samantha R. Lattof & Ernestina Coast & Tiziana Leone & Philomena Nyarko, 2018. "Contemporary female migration in Ghana: Analyses of the 2000 and 2010 Censuses," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(44), pages 1181-1226.
    10. Erin Trouth Hofmann & Cynthia J. Buckley, 2013. "Global Changes and Gendered Responses: The Feminization of Migration From Georgia," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3), pages 508-538, September.
    11. Jan Eckhard & Johannes Stauder, 2018. "Migration and the Partner Market: How Gender-Selective Relocations Affect Regional Mating Chances in Germany," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(1), pages 59-86, February.
    12. Steven Raphael, 2013. "International Migration, Sex Ratios, and the Socioeconomic Outcomes of Nonmigrant Mexican Women," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(3), pages 971-991, June.
    13. Wanru Xiong, 2022. "Dynamics between Regional Sex Ratios at Birth and Sex Ratios at Prime Marriageable Ages in China," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 48(2), pages 545-578, June.
    14. Marcela Cerrutti & Douglas Massey, 2001. "On the auspices of female migration from Mexico to the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 38(2), pages 187-200, May.
    15. Jorge Rodríguez-Vignoli & Francisco Rowe, 2018. "How is internal migration reshaping metropolitan populations in Latin America? A new method and new evidence," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(2), pages 253-273, May.
    16. Lena Edlund & Hongbin Li & Junjian Yi & Junsen Zhang, 2013. "Sex Ratios and Crime: Evidence from China," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(5), pages 1520-1534, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elizabeth Brainerd, 2017. "The Lasting Effect of Sex Ratio Imbalance on Marriage and Family: Evidence from World War II in Russia," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 99(2), pages 229-242, May.
    2. Zhang, Kezhong & He, Fan & Ma, Yuanyuan, 2021. "Sex ratios and mental health: Evidence from China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    3. Wanru Xiong, 2022. "Dynamics between Regional Sex Ratios at Birth and Sex Ratios at Prime Marriageable Ages in China," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 48(2), pages 545-578, June.
    4. Simon Chang & Rachel Connelly & Ping Ma, 2016. "What Will You Do If I Say ‘I Do’?: The Effect of the Sex Ratio on Time Use within Taiwanese Married Couples," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(4), pages 471-500, August.
    5. Conover Emily & Khamis Melanie & Pearlman Sarah, 2021. "Gender Imbalances and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Large-Scale Mexican Migration," IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, January.
    6. Barua, Rashmi & Goel, Prarthna & Sane, Renuka, 2017. "The Effect of Age-Specific Sex Ratios on Crime: Instrumental Variable Estimates from India," Working Papers 17/214, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    7. Shang-Jin Wei & Xiaobo Zhang & Yin Liu, 2012. "Status Competition and Housing Prices," NBER Working Papers 18000, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Jun Han & Zhong Zhao, 2022. "One‐child policy and marriage market in China," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 57-84, February.
    9. Xing Li & M. W. Luke Chan & Byron G. Spencer & Wei Yang, 2016. "Does the marriage market sex ratio affect parental sex selection? Evidence from the Chinese census," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(4), pages 1063-1082, October.
    10. La Mattina, Giulia, 2017. "Civil conflict, domestic violence and intra-household bargaining in post-genocide Rwanda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 168-198.
    11. Simon Chang & Kamhon Kan & Xiaobo Zhang, 2024. "Too Many Men, Too-Short Lives: The Effect of the Male-Biased Sex Ratio on Mortality," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(2), pages 604-626.
    12. Ya Gao & Rob Alessie & Viola Angelini, 2023. "Parental housing wealth and children’s marriage prospects in China—evidence from CHARLS," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 615-644, June.
    13. Ding, Weili & Zhang, Yuan, 2014. "When a son is born: The impact of fertility patterns on family finance in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 192-208.
    14. Daiji Kawaguchi & Soohyung Lee, 2017. "Brides For Sale: Cross-Border Marriages And Female Immigration," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(2), pages 633-654, April.
    15. Fan, Yi & Yi, Junjian & Yuan, Ye & Zhang, Junsen, 2018. "The glorified mothers of sons: Evidence from child sex composition and parental time allocation in rural China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 249-260.
    16. Yao, Yuxin & Zhang, Min & Li, Yixian, 2023. "Sex ratios and marital matching outcomes in the Chinese marriage market," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    17. Chang, Simon & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2012. "The Economic Consequences of Excess Men: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Taiwan:," IFPRI discussion papers 1203, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Kota Ogasawara & Erika Igarashi, 2021. "The Impacts of the Gender Imbalance on the Marriage Market: Evidence from World War II in Japan," Papers 2102.00687, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2024.
    19. Zhiming Cheng & Russell Smyth, 2017. "China’S Imbalanced Sex Ratio And Satisfaction With Marriage," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 62(04), pages 765-782, September.
    20. Orsola Torrisi, 2022. "Wedding Amidst War? Armed Conflict and Female Teen Marriage in Azerbaijan," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 1243-1275, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:49:y:2023:i:3:p:681-706. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0098-7921 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.