Secular Trends in Sex Ratio at Birth by Birth Order in South Korea, 1981–2017

Abstract

The sex ratio at birth is nearly constant if not artificially manipulated by using sex-selective abortion [1]. The sex ratios at birth in the United States have been stable from 104.6 to 105.9 males (per 100 females) between 1940 and 2002 [2]. However, East Asian countries that shared a traditional culture of son preference reported unnaturally high sex ratios at birth [3]. In China, Taiwan, South Korea, India, and Viet Nam, the sex ratios at birth were 108 or more males (per 100 females) at some point by the early 2000s; this imbalance was attributed to son preference and sex selection [4]. The distortion in the natural sex ratio can have undesirable social consequences, such as a disequilibrium in the marriage market [5,6]. This can further have a negative impact on the psychological wellbeing of never-married men, such as increased depression, aggression, Secular Trends in Sex Ratio at Birth by Birth Order in South Korea, 1981–2017 Daroh Lim, Sang Hwa Park, Inmyung Song Professor, Department of Health Administration, College of Nursing and Health, Kongju National University, Gongju; Senior Researcher, Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Population, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea