dragonfly
07-16-2004, 08:32 AM
Source: Wilson Center's Environmental Change & Security Project
Posted by: Woodrow Wilson Center - archive*
Posted on: Thursday, July 15, 2004 at 1:27 PM
Is Our Security Threatened by "Too Many Men"?
Offspring Sex Selection in Asia Leads to "Surplus Males"—and Possibly Violence
What happens to a society that has "too many men"? In their controversial new MIT Press book Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population, Valerie Hudson and Andrea den Boer assert that historically high male-to-female ratios can trigger domestic and international violence. Since the mid-1980s, widespread sex selection has skewed the sex ratios of some Asian countries—particularly China and India—in favor of males on a scale that may be unprecedented in human history. The authors argue that this disproportionate number of low-status young adult males (called "bare branches" by the Chinese) threatens domestic stability and international security.
In China, there are 120 boys under age five for every 100 girls; Punjab, India, has 126 boys ages 0-6 for every 100 girls. Hudson and den Boer claim that these imbalances will spur the creation of a permanent underclass of bare branches, reaching 12-15 percent of China and India's adult population by 2020. Why should we be worried? Worldwide, more violent crimes are committed by young unmarried males than by married men. The authors allege that throughout history, bare branches in Asia have aggravated societal instability, violent crime, and gang formation. Join coauthor Valerie Hudson and discussant Barbara Miller of George Washington University as they debate these new research findings. Copies of Bare Branches will be for sale at the meeting.
**Webcast live at www.wilsoncenter.org** (http://www.wilsoncenter.org**)
What: Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population
Who: Valerie Hudson, Professor of Political Science
Brigham Young University
Barbara Miller, Professor of Anthropology and International Relations
George Washington University
When: July 19, 2004, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 6th Floor Board Room. The Wilson Center is located in the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center establishes and maintains a neutral forum for free, open, and informed dialogue. It is a nonpartisan institution, supported by public and private funds and engaged in the study of national and world affairs.
Media planning to cover the event should contact Sharon McCarter at mccarters@wwic.si.edu or (202) 691-4016.
Posted by: Woodrow Wilson Center - archive*
Posted on: Thursday, July 15, 2004 at 1:27 PM
Is Our Security Threatened by "Too Many Men"?
Offspring Sex Selection in Asia Leads to "Surplus Males"—and Possibly Violence
What happens to a society that has "too many men"? In their controversial new MIT Press book Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population, Valerie Hudson and Andrea den Boer assert that historically high male-to-female ratios can trigger domestic and international violence. Since the mid-1980s, widespread sex selection has skewed the sex ratios of some Asian countries—particularly China and India—in favor of males on a scale that may be unprecedented in human history. The authors argue that this disproportionate number of low-status young adult males (called "bare branches" by the Chinese) threatens domestic stability and international security.
In China, there are 120 boys under age five for every 100 girls; Punjab, India, has 126 boys ages 0-6 for every 100 girls. Hudson and den Boer claim that these imbalances will spur the creation of a permanent underclass of bare branches, reaching 12-15 percent of China and India's adult population by 2020. Why should we be worried? Worldwide, more violent crimes are committed by young unmarried males than by married men. The authors allege that throughout history, bare branches in Asia have aggravated societal instability, violent crime, and gang formation. Join coauthor Valerie Hudson and discussant Barbara Miller of George Washington University as they debate these new research findings. Copies of Bare Branches will be for sale at the meeting.
**Webcast live at www.wilsoncenter.org** (http://www.wilsoncenter.org**)
What: Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population
Who: Valerie Hudson, Professor of Political Science
Brigham Young University
Barbara Miller, Professor of Anthropology and International Relations
George Washington University
When: July 19, 2004, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 6th Floor Board Room. The Wilson Center is located in the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center establishes and maintains a neutral forum for free, open, and informed dialogue. It is a nonpartisan institution, supported by public and private funds and engaged in the study of national and world affairs.
Media planning to cover the event should contact Sharon McCarter at mccarters@wwic.si.edu or (202) 691-4016.