Has anyone ever heard the saying that ... more males are born in the time of war???

Question

I just think its an interesting statement and I have heard it several times. Is this just a myth or are there studies and facts that support this statement?

Answer 1

I once read somewhere that there have been studies done, or just the general census gathering information that shows that not ~in~ times of war, but ~after~ times of war, the birthrate for male babies increases. I don't know if this would still be true or not, given that women now serve in the armed forces.

But in the past, it's been true that after times of war, when the male population has been stricken due to deaths in war, the number of males born goes up fairly substantially.

Answer 2

I really couldn't say if it's connected but I once came across some research that indicated that aggressive males tended slightly more towards female offspring.
This was apparently nature's way of balancing out the chances of passing that aggressive nature on...since females tended to cancel it out by their very nature.

So, assuming that is correct....it could be argued that the more aggressive and probably younger males go off to war...and some get killed of course.
And that leaves behind the less aggressive males who might also be past the age for military service.....so by definition the balance then swings slightly towards more male offspring.

So more males born in time of war could well be a by-product of that natural selection proccess being upset.

Answer 3

I remember hearing it and thinking it was odd, but then it seemed that it came true (someone told me that in 1980 when 8 of us had all had sons, and those 8 did go into the military in 1998-2006). But then I read somewhere that they did a study (another one of those waste the taxpayer's money projects) and concluded it wasn't so. I've wondered if our 8 were an exception.

Answer 4

Yes, I have read, and strongly believe that more males are born during and immediately following times of war. It is natures way of preserving the race. Makes total sense. Haven't you noticed all the babies lately are males?