According to the United Nations, there are more men than women living on Earth today. Of the 7.4 billion people, over 60 million more are male than female (as of March 2017). The main cause of this imbalance is the numerically unequal ratio of the sexes at birth: for every 100 newborn girls, there are approximately 105 boys. However, the preference for a boy’s birth in less-developed countries may also have led to this imbalance.
Sex-specific age expectancy
As age advances, however, the gender ratio within age groups changes. This is because men die faster than women because of their lower life expectancy. Therefore, in an “older” population with a relatively high proportion of elderly people – such as in the populations of European countries and the United States – there are more women than men.
In a population with lower life expectancy and, significantly more seriously, higher fertility, the proportion of young age groups is considerably higher. Young people form the broad base of the population pyramid in many developing countries. There are more boys than girls in these young age groups, and therefore more men than women overall.
Women “missing out” – impact of discrimination
Discrimination against girls and women leads to a serious disparity between the number of men and women in some regions of the world. In Asia, for example, there is a significant male surplus. In India, for example, there are statistically 102 male births for every 100 female births.
The birth of a girl is still considered a burden by many Indian families, mainly because parents traditionally have to pay a dowry when their daughter marries. Many parents therefore prefer to terminate a pregnancy rather than have a girl child. Girls also receive poorer nutrition and medical care than their brothers.
