Male surplus

A male surplus happens when there are too many men and not enough women in a population. This is claimed to be the case in most of the world in the 2010s, leading to a decrease in male marriage rates and an increase in male celibacy. Another effect is increased male expendability.

The male surplus begins at birth, due to a larger percentage of boy babies over girls being born. In the past, males were likelier to die in early and mid-life than females, but that is no longer true in most countries. The male surplus may then increase due to male surplus immigration of mostly young men. It will worsen further due to the trend of older men taking younger wives, reducing the number of available partners for younger men. By the late 2010s, there were about 120 million "fertile" men in the US, but only about 50 million women of childbearing age. According to sexual selection theory, a permanent male surplus can lead to violent competition between males for the opportunity to pass on their genes, or it may cause weaker males to drop out of the sexual marketplace altogether.

In Asia

In Eastern Asia there are said to be over 100,000,000 excess men, but the demographically significant figure may be twice as large. The true excess is hidden by tens of millions of very old women who live longer than men, concealing a possibly dangerous surplus of young men over young women. The Asian imbalance mostly exists because of sex-selective abortion in favor of sons, but also because of a natural birth imbalance; and because of fewer resources dedicated to daughters, resulting in higher female mortality rates. Countries affected include China, India, Vietnam, South Korea, and to some extent all others. There is also a preference for sons in Muslim countries in the Middle East and in North Africa.

In the young adult category (15-24 years), the 2015 male surplus in Japan (1.11) was lower than in China (1.14), but higher than in the USA (1.05). Japan may have favored sons over daughters in the past, though this trend has declined. In 2010, 25 percent of unmarried Japanese men over the age of 30 reported being virgins, who are known as "yaramiso". This is thought to be more a cultural than a demographic phenomenon, caused by sociological changes in the rights and expectations of women.

In the West

A group of Middle-Eastern migrants who have recently moved to Sweden holding a demonstration in Stockholm in 2018. As in other European countries, the majority of these migrants are young men, causing a significant gender imbalance with resulting social changes (including violence and other forms of tension). Such migrants have also been blamed for Islamic terrorism, though major attacks are a relatively rare occurrence due to massive security monitoring. The Swedish government strongly discourages the media from reporting on or analyzing these trends, instead encouraging positive stories about migrants integrating in society or otherwise thriving.

Often, "surplus" men in the Third World attempt to move to Western countries in search of better opportunities. Most prominent among these groups are refugees of the Syrian Civil War, but also large cohorts of Afghan refugees, and refugees of Iraq, and from Sub-Saharan Africa. These so-called fighting age men (more sympathetically called lost boys, since many are still in their teens) form a significant male immigration surplus. This has affected European demographics, most notably in Sweden and Germany.

It has been argued that the ongoing migration is responsible for the West and the USA having, in historical terms, an unprecedented surplus of men over women. However, a more significant contribution comes from lower male mortality rates in the West. Far fewer young men are now being killed in warfare and in dangerous professions than has historically been the case. Some commentators in the alt-right movement have suggested that current immigration trends should be reversed, allowing more women than men to immigrate in an attempt to restore the balance. However, this is thought to be unlikely to happen, as politically influential feminists among others are strongly in favor of tolerating and even encouraging male surplus immigration, as seen in the "refugees welcome" movement of the 2010s.

The consequences for the West of many men being unable to find dating or marriage partners are said to include an increase in the number of so-called incels. There may be attempts to create artificial replacements for women, such as improved successors to RealDolls, or virtual sex dolls or teledildonics. In addition, there is a rising threat of civil violence and social disintegration, such as the 2018 Toronto van attack, which was carried out by a self-proclaimed "incel". Feminists have responded that surplus men should find ways to improve themselves, and make peace with their predicament.

Fiction

The science-fiction novel "An Excess Male" by Maggie Shen King (2017) depicts the future plight of a Chinese man who hopes to get married in a polyandrous marriage (which in reality is illegal in China). The book focuses on the details of the characters' lives more than the social or sociological aspects.

Also see

• List of countries by sex ratio