China's Birth Rate To Leave 24 MILLION Men Single

Sad news today from China: the country's skewed birth rate, the result of the so-called "one-child policy" and sex-specific abortions, could leave 24 million men single by 2020, according to a study by the government-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

From the AFP:

The study said the key contributing factors to the phenomenon included the nation's family-planning policy [started in 1979], which restricts the number of children citizens may have, as well as an insufficient social security system.

The situation influenced people to seek male offspring, who are preferred for their greater earning potential as adults and thus their ability to care for their elderly parents.

In 2005, the last year data was made available, the male-female ratio was 119 boys for every 100 girls, according to the Global Times. The Mirror Evening newspaper reports that the ratio climbs to 130 males to 100 females in some areas.