The human dichotomy : the changing numbers of males and females

Preface. Sex Ratios and Gender. Biological sex and social gender. Sex and gender balances. Populations, sub-populations, area and scale. Underlying causes of variations. Measures of sex ratios. How accurate are the numbers? Some causes of data inaccuracies. Millions of 'missing females'. Patterns of Sex Ratios. The world picture. Continental and cultural variations. National variations. Regional variations. Rural-urban variations. Local variations. More Male Births. Sex ratios at birth. Why are there more male births? The persistence of son preference. Female infanticide, abandonment and adoption. The recent surge in sex-selective abortions. The spectre of pre-implantation sex selection or gender choice. More Male Deaths. Sex ratios of deaths. The influence of sex and gender on deaths. The gender gap in life expectancy. Sex-differential mortality in more developed countries. Sex-differential mortality in less developed countries. The scourge of maternal mortality. The scandal of female neglect. More older women than men. Marriage and widowhood. Male and Female Mobility. Shortage of studies. Increasing female mobility. Mobility, migration and circulation. Some generalisations about migration and gender. Gender changes in the evolution of migration streams. Political factors in gendered migration. Gendered migration and employment. Cultural and social factors in gendered migration. Circulation and gender. The Future. Bibliography.