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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday December 04 2016, @11:49AM   Printer-friendly
from the theory-vs-practice dept.

It's common for media and academics to cite the statistic that China's one-child policy has led to anywhere from 30 million to 60 million "missing girls" that has created a gender imbalance in the world's most populous nation.

But a University of Kansas researcher is a co-author of a study that has found those numbers are likely overblown, and that a large number of those girls aren't missing at all—it was more of an administrative story that had to do with how births are registered at local levels in China.

"People think 30 million girls are missing from the population. That's the population of California, and they think they're just gone," said John Kennedy, a KU associate professor of political science. "Most people are using a demographic explanation to say that abortion or infanticide are the reasons they don't show up in the census, and that they don't exist. But we find there is a political explanation."

The 2010 Chinese census found the sex ratio at birth was 118 males for every 100 females. Globally the average is about 105 males to females. In 2015, Chinese state media announced all couples would be allowed to have two children, signaling the end of the controversial 35-year-old policy, but scholars and policymakers are examining how the ban could have lasting social influence in China on everything from elderly care to political stability.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by jmorris on Sunday December 04 2016, @06:36PM

    by jmorris (4844) on Sunday December 04 2016, @06:36PM (#436948)

    Pretty simple to understand what is going on here. It is China. Of course they are lying. Because to admit the truth would destroy the country we might want to consider helping them cover this up while they try to find a way out of the problem they have made.

    Think about it. 118:100 means almost one in six Chinese men will not mate. Large numbers of unattached men always create problems. Large numbers of unattached women simply lead to the adoption of multiple marriage, but most cultures reject the opposite solution.

    Social instability is a certainly, the leaders may only choose how the instability will be allowed to manifest. War is the obvious solution, which will suck for anyone near them. Putin understands, as I am sure India, Japan and the more intelligent European leaders do as well. Helping them find a better answer should be a priority for everyone.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2016, @06:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2016, @06:56PM (#436952)

    > Of course they are lying. Because to admit the truth would destroy the country we might want to consider helping them cover this up

    The problems with an unbalanced sex-ratio arent going to be mitigated by lying.