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The Security Threat of Asia's Sex Ratios

den Boer, Andrea, Hudson, Valerie M (2004) The Security Threat of Asia's Sex Ratios. SAIS Review, 24 (2). pp. 27-43. ISSN 0036-0775. (doi:10.1353/sais.2004.0028) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:11429)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
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http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/sais_review/

Abstract

"Security demographics" has become a new subfield of Security Studies in recent years, as scholars have begun to envision the security implications of long-term demographic change. This subfield provides important new insight into the problem of population, social stability and conflict, but our research suggests that an additional demographic factor must be taken into account when assessing social stability and security of a state—that of sex ratios. What are the security implications for a population whose males, particularly those of the young adult population, significantly outnumber females? China and India, as well as several other Asian states, are currently undergoing various demographic transitions, one of the most important being the increasingly high sex ratios of young segments of these populations. We argue that internal instability is heightened in nations displaying the high level of exaggerated gender inequality indicated by high sex ratios, leading to an altered security calculus for the state. Possibilities of meaningful democracy and peaceful foreign policy are diminished as a result. The high sex ratios in China and India in particular have implications for the long-term security of these nations and the Asian region more broadly.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1353/sais.2004.0028
Subjects: J Political Science > JZ International relations
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
Depositing User: Andrea den Boer
Date Deposited: 04 Oct 2008 10:04 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Mar 2023 11:30 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/11429 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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