The sex ratio as a predictor of cross-national variation in violent crime

Because Low-sex-ratio societies are likely to have increased family conflic t, and because family conflict increases aggression, it was predicted that these societies would have higher rates of violent crimes such as homicide, rape, and assaults. These predictions were supported in regression analyse s of Interpol data for 70 countries that used a variety of controls for lev el of economic development, ecology (mean temperature, population density, population movement), marriage system, and geographical region. The results indicate that family variables can, account for a substantial amount of th e cross-national variance in violent crime.