[Opinion] Men Outnumbered

On average, 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. It is interesting that more boys are born than girls because the ratio should seemingly be 1:1 statistically. This gap is thought to be nature’s way of keeping a balance of the population because men face a greater likelihood of being killed, in a war for example, and women live longer. All this may be written in DNA for the preservation of the human species.

Imbalance in the gender ratio can be a serious problem. The 2004 tsunami that hit East Asian countries claimed many more lives of women than men. In some areas, women accounted for some 80 percent of the victims. Many of them were killed while trying to save the lives of their children. It was also tougher for women to escape from the strong waves than it was for men. The affected areas are suffering a “double whammy.”

Romulus, the founder of Rome, took an extreme measure when his soldiers had difficulties in finding a bride. He held a festival, invited neighboring Sabines, and kidnapped Sabine women. This triggered a war between Rome and Sabine.

The Korean National Statistical Office (KNSO) has made public recently that the number of women overtook that of men in Korea. The result came as a shock to Korean society as there are still many Koreans who prefer boys to girls. Nevertheless, it was predictable. A continued low fertility rate inevitably leads to the increased number of the female population because women live longer than men. However, among the population aged less than 50, there are still more men than women. Although the shrinking male population will not produce serious negative effects immediately, preparation for this matter is needed.

The demographic structure of a nation reveals its growth potential and social issues. Children aged 14 or less in Korea accounted for as many as 42.1 percent of the total population in 1970. However, the figure dropped by more than half to 19.1 percent in the recent survey by the KNSO. Obviously, the nation will face a shortage of labor in the near future. Moreover, a report warned that if Korea fails to raise women’s economic participation rate, which is far lower than that of advanced nations, it will be difficult to achieve a $20,000 per capita income. Women cannot but take on the growing role in a society that lacks a male population. It is time to create conditions that are favorable to female workers before reaching out to them for help.

Hong Chan-sik, Editorial Writer, chansik@donga.com