Conventional wisdom holds that things get violent when men outnumber women. But the picture is more complicated than that, say three anthropologists

“These concerns portray a violent world, driven by a glut of unmarried men”

IN ASIA there are 100 million more men than women and this excess of men, particularly in China, has led to fears of “macho militarism and imperialism“. These concerns portray a violent, socially unstable world, caused by a glut of testosterone-driven, unmarried men. But although it is generally true that men are more violence-prone than women, does it follow that an abundance of men will cause an abundance of violence?

“These concerns portray a violent world, driven by a glut of unmarried men”

Claims of “more …