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Too Many Men, Too Short Lives: The Effect of the Male-Biased Sex Ratio on Mortality

Author

Listed:
  • Chang, Simon

    (University of Western Australia)

  • Kan, Kamhon

    (Academia Sinica)

  • Zhang, Xiaobo

    (Peking University)

Abstract

Using a natural experiment in Taiwan, this paper shows that exposure to male-biased sex ratios at the marriageable ages is associated with a greater likelihood of death in later life. Half a million soldiers from Mainland China who retreated to Taiwan after a civil war in the late 1940s were subject to a marriage ban. When the ban was lifted in 1959, the great influx of the soldiers into the marriage market suddenly tipped the balance in favor of women. We have found that men subject to this massive marriage market squeeze exhibited higher mortality rates at age 50–64. Surprisingly, the deadly effect, albeit of a much smaller magnitude, is also found among women. We show that this is likely driven by the widowhood effect—women's mortality rate increased after their husbands' deaths.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang, Simon & Kan, Kamhon & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2020. "Too Many Men, Too Short Lives: The Effect of the Male-Biased Sex Ratio on Mortality," IZA Discussion Papers 13162, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13162
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhang, Kezhong & He, Fan & Ma, Yuanyuan, 2021. "Sex ratios and mental health: Evidence from China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    2. Grossbard, Shoshana, 2023. "Spouses as Home Health Workers and Cooks: Insights for Applied Research," IZA Discussion Papers 16182, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    marriage market; mortality; sex ratio; widowhood effect;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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