03 Aug

Too Many Boys in the Caucasus

As I’ve discussed before, the sex ratio imbalance in the Caucasus is of great concern.

sex ratio

In this region that already faces instability, the 2 consequences of sex imbalance (first general population decline, second more boys than girls) could have dire consequences.

In other sex-imbalanced countries, the labor market decreases which slows economic growth. Men can’t find wives, which makes them angry (which can have consequences too) and/or they leave.

07 Jul

Some brief insights into the state of women in Armenia

With recent reports about sex ratio imbalance in Armenia, a quick analysis of the Caucasus Barometer brings insight into the state of women in Armenia.

Armenians certainly prefer boys, especially in rural areas. But even in regional cities and Yerevan, nearly half of Armenians state a preference for a boy.

Moreover, Armenians (and Azerbaijanis and Georgians) raise their boys and girls differently, as shown in the slide.

And once a woman has grown up, few Armenians are comfortable with her living apart from her family if she is unmarried. There is slightly greatly acceptance of this idea among capital females though. (And in the near future, I’ll look at this vis-a-vis age!)

Sex before marriage is widely viewed as unacceptable in Armenia, but again capital females are slightly more tolerance of the idea. (And again, I need to look at this vis-a-vis age.)

However, living together before marriage has SOME acceptance amongst Yerevantsis, but overall the practice is viewed as unacceptable.

So all-in-all, do Armenians think that men or women have a better life? Interestingly, the results are mixed and there aren’t great regional or gender differences.