Sex ratio and crime: A cross-cultural investigation

When one sex outnumbers the other in a society, what are the social consequences? Sex ratio, or the number of men per 100 women in a society, may affect many aspects of society such as crime rates. It was predicted that in countries with higher sex ratios, crime rates would be higher than in countries with lower sex ratios. It was also predicted that in countries with higher sex ratios, homicide and rape rates would be higher than in countries with lower sex ratios. Additionally, it was predicted that in countries with lower sex ratios, the incidence of female offending would be higher than in countries with higher sex ratios. Adult sex ratios and crime statistics were collected for 154 countries and for each of eight years. The prediction that crime rates would be higher in countries with higher sex ratios was partially supported by the data, as was the prediction that rape rates would be higher in countries with higher sex ratios. The prediction that homicide rates would be higher in countries with higher sex ratios was contradicted by the data, and mixed results were found for the prediction that the incidence of female offending would be higher in countries with lower sex ratios. Limitations are discussed, as are possible directions for future research.