Gender Imbalance, Involuntary Bachelors and Community Security: Evidence from a Survey of Hundreds of Villages in Rural China

Xiaoyi Jin, Xi'an Jiaotong University
Lige Liu, Xi'an Jiaotong University
Yan Li, Xi'an Polytechnic University
Marcus W. Feldman, Stanford University
Li Shuzhuo, Xi'an Jiaotong University

The higher sex ratio at birth and the male marriage squeeze in China are receiving considerable attention. Scholars speculated that they might have a series of negative consequences for public safety, but there is little quantitative evidence. Using data from a survey of 364 villages in rural China, this study explores the challenge of gender imbalance to social order and safety at the village level. We found that gender imbalance had negative effects on the marriage market, community economy and order, and threatened communities’ development and safety. Our findings confirm that the negative consequences of gender imbalance and the marriage squeeze are not just speculation, and effective policies are urgently needed to respond to and prevent negative consequences of gender imbalance.