Sex ratios, labour markets and assortative mating
Abstract
Post colonisation there has been a number of times when there have been odd sex
ratios in New Zealand. Aside from the two world wars, these odd ratios have been
driven primarily by labour market related gendered migration. Odd sex ratios affect
the marriage market but, at times, marriage markets can also affect sex ratios. Over
recent years journalists have labelled the current shortage of men in prime couple
forming and childrearing age groups as a ‘man drought’. While the media often treat
this phenomena as a ‘lifestyle’ issue, such imbalances can have important
implications for social policy such as: child bearing decisions, including choices to have
children without a partner; household income inequality; interethnic and cross cultural
partnering decisions; and gender equality in both paid and unpaid work.