CGS-authored

The low sex ratio (number of females per thousand males) in several northern and north-western states of India is leading to an alarming paucity of marriageable women. With juvenile sex ratios in Punjab (793), Haryana (820) and several other states touching new lows, the future looks bleak for coming generations of young males. At the best of times, bachelorhood, like spinsterhood, is not a comfortable status. But in a predominantly agricultural society like ours, it has several negative fallouts.

Speculations abound on how families and societies will cope with the excess of bachelors in India and its comrade-in-arms in the low sex ratio league, China. Raising the alarm are two analysts, Valerie Hudson (Brigham Young University) and Andrea DenBoer (University of Kent), who argue that too many unmarried males in India and China pose potential security dangers for the planet. These dangers will range from an increase in everyday violence and crime from 'rogue males' to - hold your breath - "escalating war between India and Pakistan". As a rising economic power, China could easily dream of military adventurism to...