A series of four studies published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examined the role of sex ratio on women’s family planning and career choices, finding that when men become a rare commodity, women gravitate towards high-paying careers and postpone starting families.
In the late 12th century, a significant number of women in Northern Europe achieved economic parity with men, becoming independent entrepreneurs and forming labor unions. This shift was not due to government policy changes or social movements, but a demographic shift: a decrease in the ratio of men to women created a scarcity of marriageable men. This phenomenon is not unique to that era; modern research also suggests that sex ratio fluctuations can influence mating behavior and family life.
In a series of four studies encompassing archival data and experimental paradigms, Kristina Durante and colleagues investigated the role of sex ratios in shaping women’s career choices.
Study 1 examined the link between sex ratio and women’s career and family choices using data from the U.S. Census (for sex ratios), U.S. Department of Labor (for women’s 10 highest paying careers), and Centers for Disease Control (for maternal age at first birth and number of babies born per 1000 women). Sex ratio was determined by calculating the ratio of unmarried men to women between ages 15-44.
Study 2 recruited 89 undergraduate women from a public university wherein perceptions of sex-ratio were experimentally manipulated via photo arrays. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions: many women, many men, or equal numbers of each sex. Each photo array was presented for one second, and participants were asked to indicate how many men and women they saw in each. They viewed the array once again for 15 seconds, to check the accuracy of their prediction. This served as a manipulation check of the sex ratio (94% of participants were accurate).
In random order, participants responded to three questions assessing the importance of having a family (vs. career), spending quality time with future children (vs. having a satisfying job), having a happy and well-adjusted family (vs. reaching full career potential). A family-versus-career tradeoff index was calculated based on these responses.
Study 3 was designed to conceptually replicate Study 2 while utilizing a different sex ratio manipulation. Fifty-eight undergraduate women from a public university were randomly assigned to either the many women or many men condition. They read a short news article about male or female students on campus and responded to questions related to their future careers, mating market and job market. The first two questions were the same as those in Study 2.
An additional third question gauged participants’ desire to get married vs. get promoted. Participants also responded to questions assessing their perceptions of the mating market (e.g., “It will be difficult to find someone to marry”) and job market (“I will have to compete with others to get a good job”). From these responses, a mating market index and job market index were computed.
Study 4 examined individual differences in women’s mate value as a potential moderator of the effects of sex ratio on women’s desire for lucrative careers. A total of 87 undergraduate women participated in this research. Participants were once again assigned to either the many women or many men condition. They read one of two articles, supposedly sourced from the local newspaper. The article either highlighted that the sex ratios on nearby college campuses were female biased, or male biased.
Participants responded to conceptually identical questions gauging inclination to prioritize career vs. family. They also responded to questions about the importance of financial success in their future careers, with responses being combined for a desire for a high-paying career index. Participants also completed the Self-Perceived Mate Value Survey which assesses one’s perception of their desirability as a mate from the view of similar aged opposite sex others (e.g., “Members of the opposite sex notice me”). These responses were aggregated to form a mate value index.
Archival data from all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., as well as a series of laboratory experiments, indicated that a scarcity of men leads women to seek more lucrative careers. The study observed a link between the decrease in the number of marriageable men and the increase in the percentage of women in high-paying jobs. Further, in environments with fewer men, women tended to have fewer children and at older ages. The experimental studies revealed that when women are exposed to cues suggesting a female-skewed sex ratio, their interest in pursuing careers over starting a family increases.
This effect was consistent regardless of whether the cues were visual, presented as photo arrays, or informational, presented as news articles. Importantly, the impact of sex ratio on women’s career choices was specifically mediated by changes in the mating market. A scarcity of men in the mating market makes it harder for women to find a desirable partner, which in turn influences their career aspirations. This effect is particularly pronounced in women who are less likely to secure a long-term investing partner.
A limitation to this research is that participants were female undergraduate students from American universities, with the majority having the option of pursuing high-paying careers. Women in more impoverished areas may not have this option, and thus seek out other strategies of securing paternal investment for their offspring.
Overall, this research suggests that the local sex ratio can significantly alter women’s psychology and behavior, pushing a substantial proportion of women towards lucrative careers, especially when the likelihood of securing a long-term partner is low.
The study, “Sex ratio and women’s career choice: Does a scarcity of men lead women to choose briefcase over baby?”, was authored by Kristina M. Durante, Vladas Griskevicius, Jeffry A. Simpson, Stephanie M. Cantu, and Joshua M. Tybur.
