Gender Balance: A Hypothetical Question

[Rain Man]

Biologically, we tend to have roughly equal numbers of males and females throughout our lives. Babies are slightly more likely to be male, but then they fall earlier to illness, kickboxing, and electric poles, so in adulthood we have roughly equal numbers of males and females. Then once you get past 40 the women become more common since they live lives of leisure and comfort in their corsets and bonnets while the men dig coal and chop wood and kickbox. However, the ratio doesn't really get extremely out of whack until the age of 70 or 80 when the men are mostly dead and the women are watching Court TV.

But what if it was different? How would society be different if one gender was notably less common than the other? I'll propose two scenarios, and let me know how you think the world would be different if...

Scenario 1. The ratio of men to women was 8:1. In other words, there were 8 men for every woman.

Scenario 2. The ratio of women to men was 8:1. In other words, there were 8 women for every man.

How would the societal power structure be different? Family structure? Sports? Housing? Leisure? What do you think?

[DMAC]

Have you not heard?? A rabbit ate Sofa King's possum!

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DMAC

Have you not heard?? A rabbit ate Sofa King's possum!

I thought a opossum ate his sofa.

[Sofa King]

Too many men would mean more gay men.

Too many women would be the end of the world.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Biologically, we tend to have roughly equal numbers of males and females throughout our lives. Babies are slightly more likely to be male, but then they fall earlier to illness, kickboxing, and electric poles, so in adulthood we have roughly equal numbers of males and females. Then once you get past 40 the women become more common since they live lives of leisure and comfort in their corsets and bonnets while the men dig coal and chop wood and kickbox. However, the ratio doesn't really get extremely out of whack until the age of 70 or 80 when the men are mostly dead and the women are watching Court TV.

But what if it was different? How would society be different if one gender was notably less common than the other? I'll propose two scenarios, and let me know how you think the world would be different if...

Scenario 1. The ratio of men to women was 8:1. In other words, there were 8 men for every woman.

Scenario 2. The ratio of women to men was 8:1. In other words, there were 8 women for every man.

How would the societal power structure be different? Family structure? Sports? Housing? Leisure? What do you think?

Scenario 1 was pretty much played out in towns which sprang up during our move westward.

Scenario 2 gives me chills just thinking about it. The horror.

[HuskerPower]

Scenerio # 2 would add 5 to the Bill Clinton and porn stars pic..

[KurtCobain]

Everybody would be dead by now either way.

[Valiant]

I think it was maxim, but rio I believe has way more women to men.

So one, they love foreign and american men. Two, women share quality boyfriends. That is just win. Wars would be wrse though, have you seen women shopping against other women. Total bloodshed.

If it were opposite women would be hoarded and sexed up even earlier then now. And probably increase in bromancing.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Valiant

I think it was maxim, but rio I believe has way more women to men.

So one, they love foreign and american men. Two, women share quality boyfriends. That is just win.

I work with three Brazilians and from what they tell me, the guys pretty much have the pick of the litter in that country..

EDIT: Sorry, three Brazilians. Two men, one woman. The guys tell me that. I'll have to ask the girl to confirm..

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Biologically, we tend to have roughly equal numbers of males and females throughout our lives. Babies are slightly more likely to be male, but then they fall earlier to illness, kickboxing, and electric poles, so in adulthood we have roughly equal numbers of males and females. Then once you get past 40 the women become more common since they live lives of leisure and comfort in their corsets and bonnets while the men dig coal and chop wood and kickbox. However, the ratio doesn't really get extremely out of whack until the age of 70 or 80 when the men are mostly dead and the women are watching Court TV.

But what if it was different? How would society be different if one gender was notably less common than the other? I'll propose two scenarios, and let me know how you think the world would be different if...

Scenario 1. The ratio of men to women was 8:1. In other words, there were 8 men for every woman.

Scenario 2. The ratio of women to men was 8:1. In other words, there were 8 women for every man.

How would the societal power structure be different? Family structure? Sports? Housing? Leisure? What do you think?

I don't necessarily think social structure would be different because the status quo has already been decided by that later age assuming I'm understanding your question correctly.

[Cornstock]

If there were far more women than men, I have a feeling men would be kept underground for breeding only, and women would try to assert their authority and rule the world. That is, until men figured out they could run things and would rebel against the women.

Interesting thought though: would body images be the same as they are now if there are far more women than men? Would women subject themselves to fitting into a stereotype body image or would they just not care? Before you answer they wouldn't care, I remember reading a study about why men and women want to be in shape or have a particular body image. Men said they wanted to look good so they would be more attractive to women, but most women said they wanted to be in shape for its own sake, and that it had little to nothing to do with men.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Cornstock

women said they wanted to be in shape for its own sake, and that it had little to nothing to do with men.

Don't forget being able to show off to other women. That's why I love going to the pool. Watching the women looking at each other and comparing is a great way to pass the time.

[Cornstock]

Originally Posted by Donger

Don't forget being able to show off to other women. That's why I love going to the pool. Watching the women looking at each other and comparing is a great way to pass the time.

This was another one of the choices in the breakdown that a lot of women picked. Basically, I think women would still want to look good, whatever their reasons are.

I wonder if, outside of modern pressures towards equality, there would naturally be more women than men or vice versa. Or if it would end up equal. In other words, our species was genetically naturally selected to have more of one gender than another, but modern medicine and health advances interferes with this tendency.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Cornstock

This was another one of the choices in the breakdown that a lot of women picked. Basically, I think women would still want to look good, whatever their reasons are.

I wonder if, outside of modern pressures towards equality, there would naturally be more women than men or vice versa. Or if it would end up equal. In other words, our species was genetically naturally selected to have more of one gender than another, but modern medicine and health advances interferes with this tendency.

I think the natural ratio is roughly 50/50 for biological reasons, though I don't see why that is an ironclad rule. It seems like it should be possible to have species that aren't balanced.

[ChiefRocka]

Funny you pose this question. Myself and about 10 couples I know are having baby girls in the next year. I think mother nature is conducting her balancing act.